Earth and Water
by AquaStormXIV
Summary: From the moment they met, Terra and Aqua had a special bond. But when the ultimate test of that bond comes, how will they prevail? Terra x Aqua
1. Aqua

**Earth and Water**

**Summary: From the moment they met, Terra and Aqua had a special bond. But when the ultimate test of that bond comes, how will they prevail? Terra x Aqua**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**After the positive reviews from my two Terra x Aqua one-shot fics, I got the inspiration to write this. But I might need some help along the way.**

**Chapter 1 – Aqua**

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Sun shone down on the beautiful world of Radiant Garden. The residents strolled around the markets, the gardens, and even around the famous Rising Falls, the reverse waterfalls just outside the city.

Amongst the citizens, a young girl walked along the road through the city. She was all alone and enjoying the nice day out, being careful to avoid the people bustling around.

The girl's name was Aqua. She had short, shining blue hair and eyes to match. She wore her school uniform, consisting of a white collared, no-sleeve shirt, shorts, and knee-high white socks with brown sneakers.

Aqua came across a flower garden and bent down. Flowers grew all around Radiant Garden, giving the city its name, but the massive garden near the castle grew the prettiest flowers. They came in a wide rainbow of colors, but Aqua was disappointed that flowers were not every color. She'd never seen flowers that were naturally blue. Several boys at her school had tried to give her blue flowers, out of affection for her, but their flowers were always just painted. She wished she could see a genuine blue flower.

She set to work picking flowers for her grandmother, who was coming to visit from a town outside Radiant Garden later that day. Red, pink, and white flowers, an occasional yellow or purple. But never blue.

Around four o'clock, Aqua returned to her house and found that her grandmother had just arrived. She ran up to hug her and gave her the flowers.

"They're beautiful, sweetie," her grandmother said. "I always love coming here to see you and all the lovely flowers."

"I missed you, Grandma!" Aqua exclaimed.

Later on, Aqua told her grandmother about how things were going in school and such. She was making good grades and doing especially well in her gymnastics classes. Aqua loved doing cartwheels and was just starting to learn back flips from her teacher. The grandmother talked about how it was outside Radiant Garden. There wasn't anywhere as nice as this beautiful city.

The next day, Aqua and her grandmother went to the flower garden near the castle where they met Radiant Garden's ruler, Ansem the Wise. The elderly woman had been friends with Ansem for a long time. They'd known each other since childhood.

Ansem was a tall blonde man who dressed in a lab coat. His eyes were an unusual orange color that made Aqua realize she'd never seen anyone with eyes that color. The Sage had also brought his seven-year-old grandson, Ienzo, with him. The boy was very quiet and just sat around watching the grown-ups talk. Aqua, meanwhile, started doing cartwheels out of boredom. When she attempted a back flip, the girl accidentally landed near a fountain where water had spilled out. She proceeded to fall back and into the fountain and got soaked. Ansem chuckled as he helped her up and gave her his lab coat to wear until she was dry. It was unbelievably huge for her, Ansem was such a tall man. Ienzo cracked a smile as he watched her, though.

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After dinner that night, the grandmother told Aqua about a little legend she'd heard a while back.

"Aqua, have your heard that there are other worlds out there?" the grandmother asked.

"Yeah," Aqua said. "But I don't think about them much.

"Well, this story I heard comes from another world. According to legend, there is a small island of a world with a special tree. The tree would grow star-shaped fruit, and if two people share a fruit, their destinies become forever intertwined."

"Intertwined?" Aqua had never heard such a funny word.

"It means 'connected'," her grandmother explained. "Also, some people make lucky charms from the skin of the fruit and those charms will keep people connected to each other no matter how far apart they are."

"Grandma, is that island where you live?" Aqua asked.

"No, I just live in a smaller town that is still part of this world. The island itself is another world."

"How do you know that story?"

"Well, that is actually what I did with Ansem all those years ago. When we were young, we studied the other worlds. That island is one of many I've wanted to see for myself."

"It sounds nice," Aqua mused.

"Well, maybe if you're lucky, child, you'll get to go to that island, someday," her grandmother said with a kind smile.

"Do you really think so?!" Aqua asked excitedly.

"Yes, child. One of these days, you could see all the worlds," the grandmother said.

At that point, Aqua's parents called her away from the grandmother so she could get ready for bed. Aqua whined about it, but her grandmother promised to tell her more about the other worlds in the morning.

That night, Aqua hoped to dream about the island with the star-shaped fruit. But what she got was something very different.

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**Okay, first chapter done. I know it's short, but the story will get longer. And now you've got an idea of how things are setting up.**

**And just so everyone is aware, this is four years before the start of Birth by Sleep. So, Aqua's thirteen years old because I think she's probably seventeen in the game. Terra, who will appear later, is fifteen because I think he's nineteen in the game.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed.**


	2. Awakening

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 2 - Awakening**

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In her dream, Aqua had first appeared on an island, as she'd hoped. But as soon as she stepped toward the water, she was pulled down by some unseen force into a dark abyss.

Aqua tried to scream, but no sound came out. A bright blue light was shining just in front of her. She looked into the light and was blinded. When it cleared, she was standing in the center of a giant, glowing, bright blue circle.

_"Young child, you've come,"_ a voice said. It sounded like a male and female voice speaking in unison.

"Who's there?" Aqua asked.

_"I am no threat to you, dear girl,"_ the voice(s) said. _"Do not fear. Now, I want you to make a choice."_ Three more lights glowed around Aqua, one in front and the other two to her sides. Three small stages appeared under the lights, disappearing to reveal three new items. The right stage had a shield on it, the one in the middle had a staff with a blue orb on top, and the left stage had a sword on it.

"A choice?" Aqua asked.

_"There is a power sleeping deep in you. Give it a form and you will gain strength. Now, which skill will you take? The shield is a guardian's power, you will be able to aid your friends with it. The wand is a symbol of magic, the power of the mystics and inner strength. The sword, however, is one many before you have chosen. It represents warrior strength and great courage. It is your choice, and you may only choose one… Choose wisely."_

Aqua approached the shield and felt its kind aura. It felt decent in her hand when she picked it up, but it didn't feel right. Putting it back, she walked over to the sword next and touched it. It radiated with an aura of courage. Taking a quick swing with it, Aqua instantly chose to put it back. That left… the wand.

Walking away from the sword, Aqua tentatively walked to the wand. When she touched it, the wand glowed and she felt energy rising inside her. Aqua smiled. The wand felt right.

_"The mystic's power…"_ the voice said. _"Is this what you choose?"_

"Yes," Aqua said. "I choose the wand."

_"Very good, child,"_ the voice said. _"You've gained the power to fight. With this, you shall become strong."_

Suddenly, the sword and shield disappeared. The wand, however, glowed and changed shape. It became a giant key-shaped sword. It was bluish-purple in color with a silver guard around the handle she was holding. The teeth were strange looking, shaped like a snowflake almost. And a strange keychain was dangling from it. The chain links looked like blue water drops and another water drop was on the end. All in all, Aqua thought it was pretty.

_"This Keyblade will guide you along your destiny, Aqua,"_ the voice said. _"With it, you will have to fight, but you must use it to defend others and the worlds. Good luck, and allow your light to shine brightly through all darkness."_

Aqua was shocked enough that this strange voice knew her name, but what it just said about this… Keyblade and light… It was strange. However, she was unable to ask anything because she was engulfed in a gentle wind of petals and her dream ended.

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Aqua opened her eyes wide and bolted up in bed. That dream had really startled her. What did it mean? And that Keyblade… what was it?

Then, she heard a scream outside. She sat up and went to her window. The sky was dark and it was raining. Pouring, actually. She saw a shadow move in the corner of her eye and looked at it. She saw a shape with dark blue hair, her father, in the yard trying to swat at some dark… _thing_. She couldn't see it.

Aqua pulled on her clothes and darted outside. "Daddy!" she called when she got to the front door. When she saw the black monster her father was fighting, Aqua screamed. It was the same size as a full-grown man, shadowy, and had eerie yellow eyes that just about scared her to death.

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**There's chapter two. Hope you enjoyed.**

**Hey, about the voice in the Awakening, I put that it sounds like a male and female voice because I figured it would just be neat. Plus, I don't know what the voice sounds like. No one does. I just have my theories about it.**


	3. Monsters

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Also, Naminesweet asked in her review who the voice in Aqua's awakening was. It's the voice of her Keyblade. That's also what I believe the voice in Sora's awakening was, the voice of his Keyblade. Either that, or the voice was Ven. I'd tell you why, but I don't want to spoil it for someone who doesn't like spoilers.**

**Chapter 3 – Monsters**

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Aqua was scared stiff by the monster that was battling her father.

"Aqua, get back inside, honey!" her father shouted.

"What is that thing?!" Aqua asked.

"I don't know! Just get back inside with your mother and grandmother!"

Aqua hesitated.

"NOW, Aqua!" he roared. Now, Aqua didn't know whether she was more scared of the monster or her father. But she obeyed nevertheless.

Her mother and grandmother were in the kitchen, hiding behind the counter. Aqua ran into her mother's arms.

"What is that thing outside?" her mother asked.

"Where did it come from?" Aqua asked.

"I don't know, you two," the grandmother said. "But your father probably can't stop that monster on his own."

"A… monster?" Aqua asked in shock. She remembered what the strange voice had told her. _'To defend others and the worlds.'_ She had to help her father. She ran out of the kitchen.

"Aqua!" the women shouted. But she was already out. Once outside, she really wished she had that Keyblade she'd gotten before. Then, suddenly, it appeared in her hand in a flash of pink light and petals.

Her father saw the Keyblade appear and stared at his daughter. The monster took that opportunity to jump on him. Aqua's father thrashed as the monster made to swipe him again.

"Get away from my dad!" Aqua shouted at the monster. She ran forward and slashed at it. The monster disappeared into dark smoke. (1)

"Aqua… how… how did you…?"

"Never mind that!" Aqua said. "Get inside, Daddy! I feel like there's more of those monsters around!"

"There are," he said. "Several passed by the house and that one attacked me."

"I got it covered," Aqua said.

"Aqua, where did that key come from?"

"I… don't know…" she said. "But stay inside. I can handle those monsters with this!" Without waiting for him to respond, Aqua hurried away.

As she ran through Radiant Garden, Aqua saw several more monsters being fought off by people. No one seemed to be able to do anything. But several of Ansem the Wise's guards were around and they were able to take out the monsters without any problems. Aqua joined in the battle, surprising everyone who saw her.

She was better than many of the men, but a monster eventually did grab her and it scratched her upper arm and legs. As Aqua screamed, a bullet shot through the monster, skimming her stomach and leaving a small gash. It stung badly.

"Little girl, get out of here!" a voice snapped. Aqua sat up and saw a tall man in a guard uniform marching towards her. He had short black hair and brown eyes that glared at her. Aqua didn't like him or the two crossbows in his hands. (2)

"What's a little girl doing out in this monster mash-up?" he asked when he reached Aqua. She stood.

"Fighting," she replied bluntly.

"HA! A little girl?" the man snorted. "That's a good one."

"I'm serious!" she snapped. She held up her Keyblade as proof. The sight of it startled the man. Aqua didn't register this though, because more monsters were popping up everywhere. Aqua charged after the beasts that fled towards the gardens.

Twirling, slashing, and attacking, Aqua defeated several more of the monsters. As she fought, the storm continued to get worse. The wind was howling and blowing her backward. Aqua actually flew off her feet at one point.

Then, what must be the mother of all the other monsters appeared. It was at least fifty feet tall, shadowy, and also had those same creepy yellow eyes as the smaller ones. Actually, compared to this big one, the others were microscopic, in Aqua's opinion. Nevertheless, she charged it.

It took a lot more effort to fight this monster than the others, due to its size. She hacked at its legs and its arms, whenever it lowered them where she could reach. Every time it punched the ground though, it created a vortex that summoned ant-like versions of the human-sized monsters.

_"Aqua, attack it with magic,"_ a voice said. The same voice(s) who gave her the Keyblade. _"You chose the path of a mystic, it must be your next resort if physical might does not work."_

"Magic?" Aqua asked. "But I don't know any magic!"

_"Just focus and tell the Keyblade to shoot Blizzard,"_ the voice said. This sounded totally insane, but she tried it anyway.

"Blizzard!" Aqua shouted. Focusing with all her might, a massive ice crystal shot from her Keyblade and attacked the monster. She did it again and was successful.

"Alright, let's… finish you… off!" Aqua huffed. But she was getting exhausted. Using that magic was wearing her down. She felt drained and cold. The rain had soaked through her clothes. "What's… what's happening…?"

Then, she fell to her knees and almost passed out. She saw the monster raise its fist again and it was ready to kill her this time. Two of the small monsters crawled forward and jumped on her back, scratching her. Aqua screeched in pain as their claws dug into her back.

_'No! Stop! This can't happen!'_ she desperately thought. _'It just can't!'_

As the giant monster brought its fist down to crush her, Aqua's Keyblade glowed with a bright light and it engulfed her. She felt its sweet warmth and begged for it just to take her away.

Just before the monster's fist could smash her, the light swallowed Aqua and when the light faded, she was gone.

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The light carried her away.

"Where am I going?" Aqua asked no one in particular.

_"To safety…"_ the same voice(s) from before said. _"You are going to a place where you can learn to use your Keyblade. And where you will be safe."_

Aqua hesitated, but she believed the voice(s). She whispered, "Thank you."

Soon enough, her feet touched ground again, but she felt exhausted. Aqua stumbled forward. She was on a dark road, but she could see light up ahead. She saw a silhouette of someone too. As she stepped into the light, she noticed the shape approach her.

"Master! Master!" a voice called. It sounded like a young boy, probably the shadow who ran up to her. She stumbled forward and saw a new shadow, larger than the first. But before she could speak, Aqua fell face first on the ground.

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(1)- I didn't explain in the last chapter, the monster attacking Aqua's dad was a Neoshadow. You can probably guess what the big one was, right?

(2)- Yeah, it was Braig. Idiot that he is. For anyone who doesn't know yet, he doesn't have that scar or eye patch yet. For those of you who can't resist spoilers, like myself, you'll know why.

**Guess who those two mystery people at the end are. Anyway, later.**


	4. Terra

**WOW! Eleven reviews already? You guys rock! Okay, I'll shut up and get to the chapter then.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 4 - Terra**

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"Is she okay?" Aqua heard a voice ask. It was clearly the boy, but his voice wasn't deep. He must be around her age.

"I don't know," a much older voice replied. "She's scratched badly and these injuries look like they came from Heartless. She must've been through something terrible." Aqua felt someone pick her up.

"How did she get here?" the younger voice asked.

"Terra, stop asking questions," the older man said. "Let's just get her inside."

Aqua heard footsteps as these two people carried her away. She tried to open her eyes, but she fell into darkness.

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Aqua woke up in a soft bed. Moonlight was shining through the window just above the bed. She looked around and saw that she was alone. The nearby door was open and there was a small table next to her with a glass of water on it. She grabbed it and drank the water down in a rush, her throat had seriously been hurting.

"Where am I?" she asked herself. Wondering about that Keyblade, she tried to summon it again and it worked like a charm. She could still use it, but she didn't need it. Aqua put it away as she felt another wave of tiredness wash over her. Lying back against the pillows, the girl fell right asleep.

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When Aqua woke up again, sunlight was shining through the window. She sat up and crawled over to look out the window. The outside was so beautiful. There were mountains, valleys, forests, and waterfalls. What was this place?

Then, Aqua noticed that her shirt had been changed. Her old shirt had been ripped and torn when those monsters attacked her. Now, she was wearing a new white shirt and was still wearing her shorts and socks.

"You're awake!" a voice said from behind her. She turned and saw a boy. By the sound of his voice, it was the same one who she'd heard asking so many questions. Terra, was it?

The boy was slightly taller than her and also tan. Though he didn't look older than fifteen, he was fairly muscular. He had spiky brown hair and deep blue eyes. He had a chunk of armor on his left shoulder that expanded into a kind of glove. His clothing consisted of tan pants and a black shirt. Aqua caught herself staring at him and turned away.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Terra," he said. So, that _was_ his name. "And you?"

"I'm Aqua," she responded as she turned back to the boy. She noticed that Terra was staring at her too. "What?!" she demanded.

"Sorry," Terra said as he snapped out of it. "It's just… I've never seen anyone with blue hair before. It's… pretty." Aqua blushed, but quickly snapped out of it.

"Uh… what is this place?" she asked. "Where am I?"

"You're in the Land of Departure," Terra said as he walked closer. Aqua cocked an eyebrow. "I guess that means you're not from around here. Where are you from?"

"Radiant Garden," Aqua replied. Then, she remembered… "Those monsters! My home!"

"Don't worry, Aqua," Terra said. He grabbed her shoulders as she tried to jump past him. "Master Eraqus is in Radiant Garden now."

"Who?"

"Gosh, this is going to take a while," Terra muttered. "How about we get you some food and I'll give you the whole story then?"

Aqua considered it and she agreed ten seconds later when her stomach fiercely growled. Terra snorted as Aqua pulled on her sneakers, which were lying on the floor next to the bed. The boy led her out of the room and to a dining hall.

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As Aqua ate, Terra explained that Aqua had used her Keyblade to open a portal, which had sucked her through it and taken her to Master Eraqus's castle in the Land of Departure. She'd used a form of magic, powerful magic at that, to save her life from the creatures Terra called the Heartless. They had been appearing in many worlds, their purpose to attack people and steal their hearts. The monsters were born from the darkness of a person's heart. Terra explained that they attacked Aqua so relentlessly because Keyblade wielders had a tendency to be prime targets for Heartless. The Keyblade acted like a homing beacon and the Heartless would always find them. But the Land of Departure was safe.

Terra's teacher, Master Eraqus, was a Keyblade Master and ruler of the Land of Departure. He foresaw young Keyblade apprentices who he taught to control their powers, Terra being his only apprentice. He was in Radiant Garden now, trying to eliminate the Heartless remaining there. They'd attacked several worlds now, but Terra and Eraqus had cleared them out easily.

"What about my family?" Aqua asked. "I have to go back and tell them I'm okay."

"Master Eraqus will take you back to explain this whole thing to your family," Terra said. "But he will also want you to stay here to learn how to use your Keyblade."

"What about your family? Do they know you're here?"

"I'm from here in the Land of Departure and Eraqus has known my dad since childhood. He knows where I am."

"Where is your dad?"

"He's in a local town. I see him every now and then when Eraqus lets me take a day off."

"And your mom?"

"Dead," Terra bluntly stated. "She died giving birth to me. I never knew her."

"I'm sorry," Aqua said.

"It's okay, Aqua. Dad told me loads of stuff about her. So, I've kinda gotten to know her in a way."

"Well… that's good." Aqua thought it was strange, but she felt that she shouldn't question this boy's theories because it might offend him. "So, how big is the Land of Departure?"

"Huge!" Terra said. He expanded his arms to signify a massive size. "I'll show you if you want."

"Of course!" Aqua said excitedly.

Terra led Aqua to a massive throne room. Three thrones sat along one wall and there were two hallways that led to other parts of the castle, including the doors that led outside. Just outside the front doors was a small training ground. Terra said that the entrance is where Aqua had appeared two nights ago.

Aqua gasped at how beautiful the castle was. It had shining white walls and beautiful stained glass windows that reflected rainbows in the sun's glare. Strong golden chains linked the castle to other nearby mountains. They also kept the other floors of the castle, which jutted out into thin air, from collapsing to the ground far below. Terra led Aqua down the massive stone steps of the castle and smiled at her awestruck look.

He took Aqua all over the castle grounds. Terra was never allowed to leave without permission.

They went across a massive bridge and to a small area that reminded her of Radiant Garden. It was open, like a park, with a lot of grass all around the area and a bench in the middle. There were also a few lanterns around for when it got dark. (1)

"So, I was brought here to become a Keyblade Master?" Aqua asked.

"Basically," Terra said. "This is the safest place in the universe for Keyblade Masters in training. It's the only Heartless-free world. But Master Eraqus does sometimes summon Heartless for me to train with." He added in a whisper that Aqua didn't hear, "Not that he enjoys doing it."

"How long have you been training for?" the girl asked.

"About two years. I got my Keyblade when I was thirteen. I'm fifteen now."

"I'm thirteen. Funny how that worked out with our ages."

"Yeah," Terra laughed. "Kinda."

They sat down on the bench and looked out over the entire land. It was an amazing view. The sun was just dropping behind the mountains. Sunset. It cast a radiant glow over the world.

"So, can I see your Keyblade?" Terra asked.

"Sure," Aqua said. She called it to her hand and it instantly appeared, just like before.

"Nice one," Terra said. "But it looks pretty light. Not like it'll do much damage…"

"Are you kidding me?" Aqua asked. "I took down swarms of those Heartless with my Keyblade."

"Tell me what weapon you chose in your Awakening," Terra demanded.

"Say what?"

"Did you have a dream where you had to choose between a shield, a sword, and a wand?"

"Yeah…"

"That's a Keyblade wielder's Awakening," Terra explained. "The voice of your Keyblade will call out to you and ask to have your powers awakened. It always comes in the form of that dream. Now, as I asked before, which weapon did you take?"

"The wand," Aqua said flatly.

"I see," Terra said. "The mystic's weapon."

"That's what the voice told me," Aqua said.

"Well, considering that, your strength will be in magic when you learn how to fight," Terra said. "That Keyblade will do okay physically, but magic will do much better damage to enemies than normal when you use it. Just take a lot of Ethers around with you."

"Eth-whats?"

"Magic restoratives," Terra said. "I'll tell you everything once we get you started while learning how to be a Keyblade Master." Aqua's eyes widened at hearing that. This all sounded so fascinating and incredible. She was now excited to start training with this boy.

"Okay. Thanks, Terra," she said. "So… can I see your Keyblade?"

Terra just lifted his arm lazily and summoned it in a whirl of blue and gold cubes. The Keyblade was huge, possibly wider than Terra's arm, but he could still keep it held high. The Keyblade was bronze-colored and had an ancient look to it. The guard was blue and a keychain dangled off with a little rock fragment on the end.

"This is the Earth Shaker," Terra said.

"You named it?" Aqua asked as she cocked an eyebrow.

"All Keyblades have a name," Terra explained. "I named mine Earth Shaker due to my name meaning 'earth'. Maybe you should name yours something relating to water. Doesn't Aqua mean 'water'?"

Aqua nodded. A name that related to hers? After thinking for a minute, she decided, "Rain Fall."

"Why that?" Terra asked.

"Well, it's the color of water, the teeth are shaped like a snowflake, and the chain links are shaped like water drops," Aqua explained. "In other words, it has a bunch of shapes water can take on."

"Fitting," Terra said with an approving nod. "Well, Aqua, I can say I'm looking forward to training with you while we learn from Eraqus."

"Same to you, Terra," Aqua said. She smiled at him.

Suddenly, a bright light came from the entrance to the castle grounds. A giant vortex opened up and a man stepped out of it. Aqua couldn't see his face because his back was turned.

"Come on," Terra said as he got up. He offered Aqua his hand, but she just stared at it. "It's time for you to meet Master Eraqus."

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(1)- If you've seen BBS, you'll know what area it is. Though, to be specific, it's the area where Aqua gives Ven and Terra their lucky charms.

**Alright, Aqua and Terra have met. Be warned, no romance happens for a few chapters. So just hold on for that. I mean, they've only just met. Wait for Ven too. But don't worry, he'll come into the story later on. Just be patient.**

**Also, the Keyblade's names are spoilers. Earth Shaker and Rain Fall are really the names of Terra and Aqua's Keyblades.**

**By the way, you can picture Terra basically as he appears in the game, he's just younger. So, picture that for what he looks like.**


	5. Master Eraqus

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 5 – Master Eraqus**

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"Master Eraqus is back!" Terra said. "Time for you to meet him." Offering his hand again, Aqua took it and the two ran to the castle. Master Eraqus was just heading up the steps when he heard Terra and Aqua approach. He turned and saw them.

Master Eraqus was as impressive in person as Aqua figured him to be, thanks to Terra's description of him. He was a tall man with dark hair tied up in a ponytail, with a bang hanging off to the right of his face. He also had a small beard and mustache. His eyes were dark brown.

Eraqus was dressed like a warrior. He wore hakama pants and samurai robes. Aqua could also see armor around his middle, it wasn't entirely concealed by his robe. Aqua also noticed the symbol on the armor was just like the belt buckle Terra was wearing, they were just different colors. Eraqus's was dark silver and Terra's was gold.

"I see you're awake, child," Eraqus said to Aqua. "May I ask your name?"

"My name is Aqua, sir," Aqua said. She bowed respectfully to the Keyblade Master.

"I am Master Eraqus. Welcome to the Land of Departure." Aqua looked at Terra, who shrugged. Eraqus just wanted to be polite, although he figured Terra had already told Aqua enough.

"I see you've gotten to know each other," Eraqus said as he walked back down the steps to the two young Keyblade wielders. "So, Terra… how much does she know about the Keyblade?"

"She knows enough," Terra said. "And she's chosen the path of the mystic."

"Ah… In all my years, I've never met someone who chose the path of the mystic," Eraqus said.

"Does that mean I should've chosen another weapon?" Aqua asked.

"No, it doesn't mean that," Eraqus said. "It just means it'll present a challenge for me to teach you. It won't be any different from Terra though. He chose the sword, for the warrior. But nevertheless, he has still been taught to use magic. All Keyblade wielders must do so. It is an essential skill, whether or not you use the power is up to you, though."

"Understood," Aqua said.

"First, I will have to test you physically," Eraqus muttered. "We have to see how well you are with using the Keyblade like a sword. And also test how well you can dodge or take a hit."

"Wait!" Aqua said. "What about my family?"

"Your family?" Eraqus asked. "Are you from Radiant Garden, Aqua?"

"Yes," she replied. "How do you…?"

"I used magic to trace the portal you opened and followed it to Radiant Garden," Eraqus explained. "The Heartless are now under control there. When you were hurt, it looked like that was what got you all scratched up before we healed you."

Aqua finally took a look at her arms and legs where the Heartless had scratched her. Feeling along her back where the Heartless had hurt her more than other spots, Aqua noticed that all her marks were gone.

"You used magic?" Aqua asked.

"Actually, Terra did it," Eraqus said. Terra blushed and shuffled his feet. Aqua giggled at him.

"Thanks, Terra," she said.

"No problem," he mumbled.

"Back to the subject at hand, we must tell Aqua's parents of this if she intends to stay and become a Keyblade Master," Eraqus said. "But first, I must ask if she _wants_ to train to become a Keyblade Master."

"I do!" Aqua exclaimed. "I think it will be good to learn how to do this." She summoned her Rain Fall. "To wield my Keyblade and become a master!" Eraqus smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it," the master said. Aqua dismissed her Keyblade. "And I like that spirit. A kind, happy spirit fuels the light of your heart and it will make you strong."

"Light?" Aqua asked.

"It's a big thing with Keyblades," Terra explained. "Light and darkness are opposites in the universe. The Heartless… they're on the side of darkness. We, as Keyblade wielders, look to fight for the light and protect it. Our Keyblades have the Power of Light infused in them and we'll learn to use Light in many ways."

"But… the light of my heart?" Aqua asked as she touched where her heart was.

"There is a light deep inside all of us that shines through our darkness," Terra said. "Everyone has darkness, no matter how little. But our light, the most special thing in our hearts… if we always remember it and hold to it, then we have no need to fear darkness."

Aqua didn't want to say it, but she thought Terra's speech was beautiful. He had a strong heart, she could tell just by listening.

"Okay, I'll remember," Aqua said with a nod. Eraqus smiled at his student. Terra nodded curtly.

"Alright then, Aqua," Eraqus said. "Tomorrow, I'll take you to Radiant Garden and we'll talk to your parents about letting you stay here with Terra and I. Once we have their permission, I'll bring you back here and we'll start your training."

That night, Aqua slept with the relief that she would see her parents and grandmother in the morning. But she shed a tear at what they would think of their thirteen-year-old little girl leaving them to fight with a weapon she'd only just learned about.

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**Short chapter, but there wasn't much to put in it. Anyway, the next one will be longer.**

**Alright. Aqua has met Eraqus. So, what will her parents think? You'll get the answer in the next chapter.**


	6. Bonding

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 6 – Bonding**

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Terra woke up before the sun rose. He was looking forward to going to Radiant Garden to meet Aqua's parents and see the world. He'd never been to Radiant Garden before, even with all the worlds Eraqus took him to. It was one of the few worlds Terra had never gone to. But Eraqus had told him about how beautiful the world was.

He went to get in some training before leaving. As he walked down the hall to get to the entrance, he passed Aqua's room. The door was cracked and Terra couldn't help but look inside. The blue-haired girl was still asleep. She was lying on her side and was turned towards the door. She looked so peaceful.

Then Terra noticed the way the sunlight pouring in the window caught the light in Aqua's hair. It had a nice effect. He didn't dare move out of fear of Aqua possibly being a light sleeper and freaking out. He just gave her a small smile before he moved on.

Outside, Terra headed to an obstacle course that he'd forgotten to show Aqua the day before. He made a mental note to bring her to this spot later.

Summoning the Earth Shaker, Terra set to training. Using powerful hits, magic, and even punching a training dummy in the face, Terra really gave himself a workout. He was sweating in no time.

The sun continued to rise in the sky and Terra decided that he should stop. He would have to be clean before leaving with Eraqus and Aqua. So, he sent a spray of Blizzard magic into the air and then shot it with Fire magic to create a light rain. In no time, he was clean, but he was still wet, and a little smelly. As he approached the entrance, he saw Aqua sitting on the steps quietly. She was watching the sun rise in the sky.

"Hey, Aqua," Terra said.

"Good morning," she replied. "Why are you wet?" Then she sniffed and pinched her nose as Terra got closer. "And why do you smell like the inside of a gym locker?"

"I was getting in a workout," Terra said, "just in case we turn out being gone the whole day."

"If there's any extra Heartless around, I bet you'll take them out in a flash," Aqua said. Terra was glad to see that Aqua was confident in his abilities. For some reason, he felt like he really wanted to impress her. "I hope my parents understand though," she added.

"Why do you think they wouldn't?" Terra asked as he sat down.

"Well, I'm just a kid," Aqua said. "They probably won't like that I want to learn to use the Keyblade because they don't know anything about it. Plus, this is a completely different world. They're probably going to be upset that their only daughter is going to live in another world."

"You can visit them anytime you want," Terra said as he sat next to her. "You can set it up with them and Eraqus. He understands family matters."

"Good to know."

They sat there for a few minutes in silence. As they looked out over the Land of Departure, Terra saw the sunlight catch the light from Aqua's blue hair like he'd seen earlier. It was really shining. He shook his head and fumbled to think of something to say.

"So, did your parents name you 'Aqua' because of your hair or your eyes?" Terra asked. Aqua cocked an eyebrow as she thought the question was really random. "I mean… they're both as blue as water," Terra explained. Aqua blushed at that. She failed to notice that Terra slightly blushed as well.

"Both, really," she said. "I get the blue hair from my dad. My mom has blue eyes. I kinda take after them both I guess." She paused and then asked, "What about you? Why are you named 'Terra'?"

"Well, I don't actually know," he said. "Dad said that mom named me that just before… her passing. But I think it's because the earth is a strong thing. Just like I want to be. A strong Keyblade wielder. It's my dream."

"I can tell you'll achieve it," Aqua said. She gave him a tiny smile, which really brightened Terra up. That's when he actually noticed exactly how close he and Aqua were. She was only about three inches away from him and looking directly into his eyes.

"Your eyes are pretty," she said.

"Oh… really?" Terra asked.

"Yeah," Aqua replied. "They're bright blue that fades into a darker blue. I've never seen blue eyes like that."

"Oh…" Terra said. "Well… I'm glad you like them." Aqua giggled again and Terra let out a small laugh. "What's Radiant Garden like?" he asked.

"It's so beautiful," Aqua said. "There's the massive castle, its gardens. All the people are so nice… well, except for this one jerk I met the night I got my Keyblade." (1)

"Who?" Terra asked. He couldn't imagine anyone wanting to be mean to a sweet girl like Aqua.

"I don't know," she said. "But he was pretty ticked to see me fighting off Heartless better than he ever could. I sure showed him."

"Good to hear," Terra said. "But don't get cocky. Those Heartless did quite a number on you."

"No kidding," Aqua said. "But I still thought it was pretty cool to get to use magic while fighting that huge Heartless."

"You got to use magic?" Terra exclaimed. He was astonished to say the least. He'd completely ignored the words 'huge Heartless'.

"Yeah. My Keyblade's voice told me how to do it. I just concentrated and was able to use an ice spell on that Heartless!"

"Blizzard. You used Blizzard magic."

"How does magic work?"

Aqua never received an answer, however. They jumped as the doors behind them opened and Master Eraqus walked out.

"You will get to learn about magic soon enough, Aqua," the Master said with a smile. "Right now, we need to get to Radiant Garden and tell your parents about how you've decided to become my apprentice."

"Well, my grandmother too," Aqua said, "if she's still at home. She was visiting when the Heartless attacked."

"Well, they will be the only ones to know," Eraqus said. "Very few are supposed to know about the other worlds. They have to keep it secret. They will have to come up with an excuse of your absence."

"I can do that," Terra offered.

"Good. Now, let's be off." Eraqus raised his arm and a square-looking Keyblade appeared in it. The guard was white with several small boxes at the angles of the square guard. The long shaft was a thin, black rod with teeth that looked like an 'E' shape. For Eraqus's name, Aqua guessed. The keychain at the end was the same symbol Terra and Eraqus both wore, a heart with a long point coming out the bottom.

Aqua took a look at it before Eraqus aimed his Keyblade past her and Terra and light swirled around it. At the bridge, a vortex opened up.

"I'm using a type of vortex that will just take us right to Radiant Garden," Eraqus explained. "It is different from other methods of world traveling. I plan to teach you about them in time, child," he added when he saw Aqua's confused expression.

They walked through the vortex and were engulfed in light. Once it faded, the vortex disappeared and they were standing outside the entrance to Radiant Garden's castle. Luckily, no one was around to see them. Aqua knew the guards were strict about trespassers. From there, Master Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua headed into the town.

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(1)- Guess who she's talking about. Yeah, it's Braig again. Moron.

**And yeah, I got a little romance in there. But don't expect more than that for a while. I'll keep adding little hints though. Alright, I'm going to try and make later chapters longer. And remember I said TRY. I'm not making any promises until later.**

**Also, this chapter was originally supposed to be longer. But the next half of it became chapter 7. So, keep reading then.**


	7. The New Apprentice

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 7 – The New Apprentice**

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Upon entering Radiant Garden, Aqua couldn't help but go into the flower gardens and hope to maybe find her grandmother there. Sadly, she wasn't. So, she lead the Keyblade wielders into the city.

"Wow, Aqua, this place is amazing," Terra said as he marveled at the sights of Radiant Garden. It was better than he had ever imagined and still better than when Aqua described it.

"I told you," Aqua said. "If anything, I'm really glad I was born here. Though, there is another world I know I want to see."

"Shh!" Eraqus hushed. "Don't speak so loudly about it! We have to keep the other worlds a secret!" He bent down to Aqua's eye level and whispered so she got the message. She got it loud and clear.

"Tell us later," Terra said as they continued on their way.

When they got to Aqua's house, she insisted on being the one who knocked on the door. No one protested, but when Aqua's mother answered the door, she was swept into the woman's arms and almost hugged to death.

"Mom…! Stop… can't… breath!" she gasped.

"I'm sorry, honey," the woman said as she released her daughter. "We've just been so worried! Mother, come here! Aqua's back!"

The grandmother was easier on Aqua than her mother had been. She let Aqua come to her before hugging her tightly. In the mean time, Aqua's mother turned to Terra and Eraqus as if she'd just noticed them.

"Did you two find my daughter?" she asked.

"Actually… she came to us," Terra said. He was just putting it in the simplest way possible. Eraqus rubbed his eyebrows together at Terra's bluntness.

"Perhaps, we should explain inside," the Keyblade Master suggested. Aqua's family invited them inside. Her father had just joined them and embraced his daughter.

Terra could really see the striking resemblances between Aqua's family and Aqua herself. She took after her father's blue hair, but that was it. Her mother, on the other hand, her mother had red hair and bright blue eyes, nowhere near as pretty as Aqua's. Terra mentally slapped his forehead for thinking that. But Aqua also had the woman's smile, something they both got from the grandmother.

Terra didn't have much of an opinion on the old woman. But she looked wiser than anyone he'd ever seen, even Eraqus, and her eyes had this look whenever she set eyes on him. It was like she was trying to read Terra's mind, so he did his best to avoid eye contact. Eraqus explained Aqua's strange appearance in the Land of Departure and about the Heartless. Aqua explained about her dream and the things she'd learned from the Keyblade. It was easy to say that her parents were overwhelmed. Her grandmother wasn't as surprised, but she _was_ surprised nonetheless.

"Our daughter… a Keyblade… warrior?" Aqua's mother asked.

"Yeah, Mom," Aqua replied. She summoned Rain Fall to prove it to them. When she saw that she had really shocked her mother, she put it away. Her father just stared wide-eyed at his daughter.

"I've heard stories of a weapon like that," the grandmother said. She had been the only one who remained completely passive.

"You have?" Eraqus, Terra, and Aqua all asked at once.

"Yes," was her reply. "Ansem the Wise and I have studied the other worlds for years. He told me that he once came across the story of a young man who left this world long ago. They say he wielded a sword in the shape of a key. Thus, it must be a legend of your Keyblade."

"There have been many Keyblade wielders from this world and from others," Eraqus stated. "I would've thought those stories had died out around other worlds. But it can't be helped. Nevertheless, the stories need to stay secret."

"Don't worry, sir," the grandmother said. "Ansem solely keeps this information between me and his apprentices. He lets very few others know about his research of the other worlds."

"That's good, right, Master?" Terra asked.

"We're kind of getting off topic," Aqua said with a roll of her eyes. "What about me becoming a Keyblade apprentice?"

"Aqua… I don't know," her father said. "This is a big decision. We won't be able to see you all the time."

"I can allow visits between all of you and Aqua anytime," Eraqus assured.

"I don't want my only daughter to learn to use something like the Keyblade," Aqua's mother protested. "I won't allow it."

"Mom! I need to learn!" Aqua whined. "The Keyblade attracts Heartless and I can't stop them unless I can learn to defend myself!"

"Aqua, that thing is dangerous," her mother scolded. "Just give it back to whoever gave it to you and…"

"STOP IT!" Terra shouted. The argument was giving him a headache. "I mean no disrespect, ma'am, but the Keyblade chooses who will wield it. No one can choose the weapon themselves. Aqua was chosen because the Keyblade believes her heart is strong and that she will use it with good intentions." Aqua blushed and smiled at Terra. He blushed too. The only adult who seemed to acknowledge their transaction was Aqua's grandmother. She pretended not to notice.

"You make it sound like that key is alive," the mother said.

"It is, in a way," Eraqus explained. "The Keyblade chooses its wielders, as Terra said. It is something that cannot be helped. Listen, ma'am, I understand your feelings about this. But your daughter has been chosen and must learn to use the Keyblade to defend herself and the other worlds." Aqua's mother still looked uncomfortable about it.

"I can promise you that I'll allow you to visit with your daughter," Eraqus assured. "But she will have to live with Terra and I in the Land of Departure while she trains. And in due time, she will become a Keyblade Master and be able to defend the worlds, as is the duty of a Keyblade's Chosen One."

"If this is her duty to the worlds, then Aqua must go," her grandmother said. Everyone stared at her. Aqua's mother actually looked ready to throw something.

"Grandma…?" Aqua said.

"Child, I always knew there was something special about you," her grandmother continued. Aqua walked over and her grandmother placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "This is what makes you special, my sweet granddaughter. The Keyblade has chosen you. And you must use it to protect the worlds." She gave Aqua a kind smile. "I know you'll be wonderful."

"Thank you, Grandma!" Aqua embraced the old woman as everyone else watched. After a second, the elderly woman turned to Aqua's mother. "Daughter, you must let Aqua go learn to use the Keyblade. I know you want what's best for the worlds as well."

Aqua's mother remained silent for another minute before responding. "Fine," she said. "But we will get to visit every now and then, right?" She glared at Eraqus.

"Absolutely," the Keyblade Master said, ignoring the woman's intense glare. "Terra still sees his father every once in a while. I understand how this works with families."

"Daddy?" Aqua asked.

"I know you'll make us proud, honey," he said. Aqua ran over to her parents and embraced them.

Aqua was then sent to gather anything she wanted to bring and hurry back. While she was gone, Aqua's parents made sure Terra was out of earshot before asking Eraqus about how the boy would respond to having Aqua around, to which Eraqus assured them that Terra was very well behaved. He would treat Aqua like she was his sister. Terra could still hear them, however, and felt slightly hurt by what he was hearing. Besides, he wasn't even sure what his exact opinion of Aqua was at the moment. They'd only spoken to each other for the first time one day ago, for crying out loud.

When Aqua returned, she said goodbye to her family and Eraqus opened another portal that he and his two apprentices took back to the Land of Departure. When they arrived, Eraqus handed something to Aqua.

Taking it in her hands, Aqua saw that it was a silver heart-shaped pin just like the ones Eraqus and Terra wore. However, Aqua's pin was attached to two pink bands that Terra told her were supposed to be worn around her chest.

Once the straps were adjusted, with the pin right in the center, Eraqus nodded and said, "Welcome, my new apprentice."

Aqua smiled gleefully. Now that she was officially a Keyblade apprentice, she was more eager than ever to start training.

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**Alright, Aqua is now officially Eraqus's apprentice! Training starts in the next chapter. And as I've promised, I'll try to go longer with the chapters. And Ven will make his introduction soon enough.**

**Also, the man who the grandmother says left the world a few years ago plays no part of the story. It was just put there.**


	8. Training

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 8 – Training**

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The next morning, Terra woke Aqua up bright and early to give her some pointers on wielding her Keyblade. The problem was… it was a little difficult since Aqua's Keyblade looked much more delicate than his. Plus, it was lighter and Aqua hadn't chosen the same weapon he had in his Awakening.

Rain Fall was a thin weapon that looked very light. This was a direct contrast to Earth Shaker, which was big, heavy, and broad. It almost looked like Earth Shaker would cut Rain Fall in half if they came into contact in battle. Of course, Keyblades were indestructible, but if they were normal weapons, it could happen.

"This is going to be hard…" Terra muttered.

"How is Master Eraqus going to teach me to use a magic fighting style?" Aqua asked. She had simply ignored Terra's comment.

"Keyblade Masters know how to work with all types of battle style," Terra explained. "But he's not teaching me that until it's near time for me to take my Master Qualification Exam."

"Say what?" Aqua asked.

"I guess I never explained about that, huh?"

"No. No, you didn't."

"Well, a Master Qualification Exam, MQE for short, is the exam we take once we're ready to become Keyblade Masters. It's 'a test of the heart for those chosen by the Keyblade,' as Master Eraqus once told me."

"How does it test your heart?"

"Our strength, power, and the light of our hearts are what you get tested on."

"Got it," Aqua said finally.

"And I'm going to try and make it so that you both take the exam simultaneously," a voice said from behind. Eraqus was striding towards his two students with his arms crossed behind his back.

"How are you going to do that?" Terra asked.

"By seeing how good Aqua is naturally and then testing her capability with the Keyblade," Eraqus said. "Then, we move on to magic," he added with a smile. Aqua's eyes glowed with enthusiasm.

"How different are magic fighters from power fighters?" Terra asked.

"Huh?" Aqua asked.

"Terra's battle style is power-based," Eraqus explained. "He tries to damage enemies as much as possible with physical strikes. It takes a while to master. Magic can be different. It will be your main source of damaging and defeating enemies. Though, with the right physical battle style, it can be pulled off efficiently. Also, you must remember to keep plenty of Ethers around."

"What's an Ether?" Aqua asked. All she knew was that Terra had mentioned Ethers two days ago when they first talked.

"A magic restorative," Eraqus answered. "It can give you a much needed energy boost because magic can drain you. Potions are useful as well, they restore health if you are getting weak in battle physically. There's a big difference."

This was too overwhelming for Aqua. What the heck did Potions have to do with learning to use magic? And besides, this was a fighting lesson.

"Uh… what does this have to do with fighting?" Aqua asked.

"My apologies," Eraqus said with a chuckle. "We'll get back on track now. But keep in mind that you _will_ learn about these restoratives eventually. This includes how to make them." Aqua shrugged. As long as they got on with this first lesson, she could wait.

"First things first. Keyblade out," Eraqus said. Aqua summoned her Keyblade. Eraqus then waved his hand and several balls of light appeared. "Attack and destroy the light balls in under a minute. But be warned, they're quick."

Aqua charged at the nearest ball of light and ran it through with her Keyblade. She managed to catch a few more, but then the rest started speeding around. Aqua was knocked off her feet by one of them. Terra had to duck under a nearby bench to avoid getting hit in the head. Eraqus just stood still, he was probably telepathically controlling the balls. That was probably the reason he wasn't afraid of the spheres' rapid paths.

When a minute passed, Aqua ceased chasing the remaining balls and Eraqus made them vanish. The girl dismissed Rain Fall.

"Not bad for a first try," he said. "But remember that we will do this more often as you progress."

"Yes, Master," Aqua said

"Now, we'll move on to evasive tactics," Eraqus said. "Show me how fast you can move across this obstacle course." He gestured to a nearby course. It included a mud pit, a patch of spikes, swinging pendulum axes, fiery hoops, ground that slid back and forth.

"This doesn't look too hard," Aqua said.

"Wait until he sends you to the harder course," Terra said. That worried the new apprentice. A harder course? Uh-oh.

Aqua ran up to the course swiftly and immediately set to work. She did a flip over the mud and another over the spikes. The pendulums were harder, she had to do duck and roll through several of them. And with the hoops, she jumped through each a few of them. Aqua almost lost her balance on the sliding ground. She miraculously recovered by doing a twirl and managing to cartwheel past the finish line.

Terra applauded and Eraqus smiled. Aqua was more please by Terra's reaction though. She smiled at him and gave a playful wink. Terra blushed and stopped applauding.

Neither of them noticed that Eraqus had seen all that had transpired since Terra started applauding. He didn't say anything, but he could see something forming between his two apprentices.

"Well done, Aqua" Eraqus said. "Agility is a valuable skill for some fighters. It's a good suit for you. Now, I want you to spar with Terra."

That caught both apprentices off-guard.

"Master…?" Terra started.

"I want to test her swordsmanship," Eraqus said. "See what can be worked on and what she's strong with."

"Well, I'm not really good with swords," Aqua said as she summoned Rain Fall. Terra called out Earth Shaker.

"How'd you take out so many Heartless, then?" Terra teased.

"Watch it!" Aqua snapped.

"No arguing," Eraqus ordered.

"Sorry, Master," the apprentices said in unison.

"Now, Keyblade wielders all have their own unique fighting style," Eraqus informed. "Aqua's will need to be worked on over time. This is why all of her first lessons will be based on developing a battle style before I teach you both any advanced tactics."

"Both?" Aqua asked. She was surprised at hearing that Terra might not be at an advanced level yet.

"I just haven't reached the advanced training level yet, Aqua," Terra explained. "Besides, he won't teach me anything advanced until we're on the same level."

"That is correct," Eraqus said. "I want to see if I can get you two prepared to take your Master Qualification Exam simultaneously. This is why Terra will be helping me teach the lessons until you are both are of equal skill with your Keyblades. He will have his own lessons, but he won't advance much further than you, Aqua. For the sake of the goal I'm trying to accomplish."

"Understood," Aqua said. Terra didn't feel as comfortable about it, but he had no choice. Besides, he wanted to help Aqua in any way he could.

"Alright, stand ready for battle," Eraqus ordered.

Terra went to one side of the field and held his Keyblade to his side. His legs were positioned in a crouch, like he was ready to spring at a moment's notice. Aqua stood with her back straight, but her Keyblade was also held to her side.

"Begin!" Eraqus exclaimed. The apprentices charged at each other. Aqua blocked Terra's first attack, but he came at her again. Noticing that he was striking with the flat side of his Keyblade, probably to lessen the strength of his blows, Aqua managed to hit Terra from behind by cartwheeling out of the way. The boy lost his balance, but got back up and quickly counterattacked.

This continued on for several minutes until Eraqus was satisfied that he'd seen enough. He called for Terra and Aqua to stop. Though, something he'd really noticed that Terra seemed to be holding back with Aqua. He never fought with the flat side of his Keyblade before. The boy had probably done it because it was Aqua's first time fighting him. He'd have to mention to Terra that for future lessons, he'd have to fight with his full strength. But he was pleased, just the same.

The day progressed with more of Terra and Aqua sparring. They dodged, hit, and jumped out of the other's way. At the end, Eraqus was pleased that Aqua could do so well so soon. She and Terra would be equal fighters in no time.

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**Okay. Training has started. Review if you wish. This chapter actually took some thinking to get it long enough.**

**Special Valentines update. Happy Valentine's Day!**


	9. Magic

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 9 – Magic**

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Two months had passed since Aqua's arrival. Every day, she'd been getting better and better at using her Keyblade. She was mastering moves Terra had taken at least a few days to perfect in a single day, which Terra resented, but he understood his master's goal to have both his students take their MQE together. Therefore, Aqua needed to train harder than Terra had before.

Still, Terra had taken to spending all his free time either training or talking to Aqua. He was eager to know more about her, and she was interested in learning about him too. It was easy to say they'd become fast friends.

One day, Terra and Aqua had been given the morning to relax and would train in the afternoon. Aqua had anticipated this day ever since she'd first learned about the Keyblade. It was the day she'd finally get to use magic for the first since casting that Blizzard spell against the Darkside Heartless. Terra had told her the name of the huge beast that had attacked her home.

"So, Aqua, are you looking forward to trying out magic?" Terra asked.

"You bet I am!" Aqua exclaimed. There was a wild light in her eyes. "I've been _dying_ to try it ever since you first told me about magic!"

"Well, it's going to be a primary part of your battle style," Terra replied. "Your magical abilities will be enhanced beyond a normal Keyblade wielder's because you chose the wand in your Awakening. So, I can imagine you're excited."

"Can you tell me anything about magic before the lesson starts?" Aqua asked. She gave Terra the puppy-dog eyes. He blushed because he just _loved_ that look. Aqua pulled it off so well. It was just downright _cute_. And Terra had never used the word before, but he just couldn't help it with this girl.

"Uh… it's only a few more hours," he said. "Can't you wait until then?"

Aqua's pout faded and she said, "I don't know if I can. I'm just so excited! It's hard to contain."

"Well, I guess I could tell you how you're going to start out," Terra said.

He went into an explanation of how Eraqus had started with teaching him magic a few years ago. They'd started out with basic spells all having to do with the elements, but Eraqus had made him start with Cure since other spells were damaging and could be a hazard if not taken care of right away. Then, the spells got more advanced as time went on. Terra was in the middle of learning spells at the moment, so he could give Aqua some pointers.

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At the start of the lesson, Eraqus first asked Aqua what she knew about magic. She just told him how she'd only used one spell before, Blizzard. Otherwise, she knew nothing about magic. The Master hence decided to teach the girl how to effectively use Blizzard once she mastered Cure.

"Alright, I'm going to show you how Cure works," Eraqus calmly said. He revealed a fresh cut on his right arm. It didn't look too bad, but it also looked like it had just stopped bleeding. Eraqus then summoned his Keyblade and held it over the scratch. "Cure," he said softly. In an instant, glowing green leaves flew from Eraqus's Keyblade and the scratch was completely gone.

"Cool!" Aqua exclaimed.

"I want you to try now, Aqua," Eraqus said. He rolled up his other sleeve and revealed yet another cut. Terra raised an eyebrow, wondering why Eraqus would mark himself just to help Aqua master a spell. The girl stepped forward with Rain Fall at her side.

"The key is to concentrate and just know what magic you want to cast," Eraqus said. "It must be said aloud as well. Now, try to cast Cure." Holding her Keyblade over the scratch, Aqua thought of what she'd just seen Eraqus do.

"Cure," she whispered. Nothing happened other than a few glowing leaves emerging from the Keyblade's tip. But they didn't heal the scratch. "Drat," Aqua muttered.

"Don't worry," Eraqus said. "Just try again. You said that you once cast a Blizzard spell with no problems. Just try and feel the way you did when you did that."

Aqua tried again, but she was thinking too much about the Blizzard spell, causing a small patch of ice formed on Eraqus's cut instead of healing it. He chuckled and Terra snorted.

"Distracted?" Eraqus asked. He gently slid the ice off his arm while shooting a look at Terra. The boy instantly went silent.

"Yes, sir," Aqua said. She'd paid no attention to Terra's laughter.

"What I meant was to feel the magic energy flow through you. You need to concentrate on the magic you're attempting to cast, but you must also feel the energy inside. It's the only way to truly cast it."

"Understood."

"Now, try again."

This time, Aqua was ready. She held up her Keyblade and concentrated before gently whispering, "Cure." This time, it worked. Glowing green leaves appeared from the Keyblade and healed Eraqus's cut. It was like the blemish had never been there.

"Perfect," Eraqus said. Aqua smiled.

"Now, it's time to teach you how to replenish your strength," Eraqus said. "Do you feel tired, Aqua? Even just a little."

"Maybe…" Aqua said. She simply didn't feel as full of energy as she'd been before. But it didn't feel like much.

"Using magic costs energy," Eraqus said. "That spell only took a small amount of magic, but it affected you still." He reached into his coat and pulled out a small white sphere. "Now, as we've mentioned them before but never actually explained them, this is an Ether. It's a magic restorative. Drink the juice inside and your spellcasting energy will be restored." He gave it to Aqua, who had no idea how to open it.

"Bite on it," Terra said. "But spit out the shell. It tastes gross. Just make a hole big enough for you to get the juice out."

Aqua did as he instructed and bit the small orb. Surely enough, the shell did taste horrible, and she spit it out immediately. But the juice inside tasted nice, like apple juice. She drank it and felt her energy return.

"Good," Eraqus said. "But remember that you don't need one after every spell you cast. Just drink Ether juice whenever your energy feels about to run out. It's useful as a last resort. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Aqua nodded.

"Now you have a basic grasp on magic. We'll move onto attack magic next. Blizzard will be our first attempt." Eraqus summoned several balls of light like he had during Aqua's first training session. There were seven total. "Freeze each ball or coat it in snow."

Aqua charged and shot a Blizzard spell at one of the balls of light. The first one simply got all frosty, but her second attempt froze the ball to a clump of ice. Another ball got to close to a wall and Aqua froze it there. All in all, Aqua had frozen or just frosted every ball of light in two minutes.

"Well done," Eraqus said. "Very well done."

"Great job, Aqua," Terra added.

"Now, time to show you what it will be like facing an opponent who uses magic," Eraqus said. "Terra will be the opponent. I simply want you both to use opposing magic against each other."

"Opposing?" Aqua asked.

"Yes," Terra said. "In other words, I'll use Fire against your Blizzard. And actually, Fire was the first spell I learned."

"Funny how that worked out," Aqua said.

"Yeah." Terra chuckled.

"Now, get ready," Eraqus ordered. Terra and Aqua stood ready. "ATTACK!"

"Fire!" Terra shouted. A stream of fire shot from his Keyblade.

"Blizzard!" Aqua screamed. Ice and snow shot from her Keyblade.

The attacks hit each other simultaneously and Terra and Aqua forced their spells to overpower the other. In the end, they just made small fireballs and ice shards fly everywhere. It was actually fun though. Even if they did get slightly burned and cut in the process. Aqua healed both Terra and herself with Cure spells and they were good as new.

Eraqus was pleased that Aqua was gradually learning to use magic. As her lessons progressed, Aqua got better and better at casting spells. She would be a great magic-using Keyblade wielder.

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**Alright, this is a warning: the next chapter takes place three years in the future to get to the main plot. They're older when the main stuff happens. But the romance picks up more then.**

**By the way, Terra just loving to watch Aqua pout, I had to put some goofy gag in there. Besides, I think it would be funny to see her pout. And also, about the Ether juice and shell, I just made that up.**

**Reviews and comments are welcome.**

**Also, I've got a big surprise for the next chapter. But you have to wait.**


	10. Ventus

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**WARNING! This chapter contains spoilers. In fact, this whole chapter is a spoiler. You've been warned. Though, I made up some of it too. Hee hee.**

**Chapter 10 – Ventus**

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Three years later…

The time had certainly gone by fast. It had already been three years since Aqua came to the Land of Departure and met Terra and Master Eraqus. Both the apprentices had become stronger, both physically and emotionally.

Terra, now eighteen, had grown into a tall, strong, and handsome young man. Aqua sometimes couldn't stop looking at him, and when he caught her staring, Aqua would turn away and blush, allowing Terra a second to smirk. The warrior still wore his old armored outfit, consisting of a tight, black, high-necked shirt; tan hakama pants; and red suspenders to hold them up. His gold heart symbol worked as his belt buckle. In terms of armor, he wore bronze-colored armored boots and a long armored gauntlet stretching from his shoulder down to his hand.

Aqua, now sixteen, had become a talented mage. She was now very graceful, agile, and also very beautiful. As much as Terra would try, he couldn't stop staring at her sometimes. The way her short blue hair waved around when she moved, the faint blush always present on her cheeks, and her sweet smile all captivated his attention.

The girl wore a black and blue halter shirt and pink straps over her chest with her silver heart symbol where the straps intersected. Long white sleeves hung from her upper arms, suspended by silver and blue armor, and ended at her wrists. Black shorts were under the blue skirts and white ribbons she had on her waist. Her legs were covered by long black socks from mid-thigh to foot. She also wore black and silver armored boots.

Although Terra had been Eraqus's student for two years longer than Aqua, Eraqus hadn't wasted time to get them on the same level. Aqua had determination that Eraqus never knew could exist. They were both equally skilled, but with different talents. Where Terra was powerful physically, Aqua was fast and always pulling out magic moves.

Master Eraqus was pleased with both his students and was looking forward to seeing the day he could call them both Keyblade Masters.

But one day, everything changed for the Keyblade Master and his two apprentices.

"Terra, Aqua, I have to meet with a guest today," Eraqus told them. "Train together, but don't blow anything up." He rubbed his temples and thought of the first time Terra had tried to use Fire magic. The result wasn't pretty.

On that note, Terra and Aqua set to work. They first did a practice duel to test physical strength. Then, they did a magic practice session. Aqua outdid Terra in magic and he outdid her physically. Though, it still did take Terra a bit of effort to touch Aqua since she was so quick.

As they started just doing some solo exercises in the throne room, they heard the front doors open and glanced over the balcony to see what was happening.

A bald old man with dark skin and all dressed in black walked in. He was accompanied by a young boy with blonde hair who was dressed in white and black. Eraqus walked down to greet them. But Terra and Aqua couldn't hear a word they said. Eraqus and the old man walked into the hall again and left the boy alone.

"Why is that boy just standing there?" Aqua asked.

"Don't know," Terra said with a shrug. "I'll go ask."

He went to the entrance and saw the boy hadn't moved a muscle. Terra walked up and gave him a friendly wave, which the boy didn't acknowledge.

"I'm Terra," he said. "What's your name?"

The boy hesitated, but he quietly answered, "Ventus."

"Great to meet you," Terra responded. He turned up to see Aqua still watching. "Aqua, come meet him." She smiled and ran into the hall to join them a second later.

"My name is Aqua," she said.

"Terra…" Ventus said while looking at him. "Aqua…" He looked at her too. They saw that Ventus had blue eyes like they did, but they had this blankness in them.

"Where are you from, Ventus?" Terra asked. No answer. "Who brought you here?" Ventus hesitated, but at least he moved. "Can you use the Keyblade?"

Ventus's reaction was completely unexpected. He started inhaling and exhaling rapidly. Then, he grabbed his head and screamed before dropping to the floor.

"What is it?" Terra asked.

"What's wrong?" Aqua yelped.

"What are you doing?" Master Eraqus asked. He'd returned with the old man. Terra and Aqua were both startled by the man's yellow eyes. It seemed unnatural. But they didn't say anything about it. They simply turned to their master as the old man cradled Ventus in his lap. The poor boy seemed to have passed out.

"I… I don't…" Terra struggled to find the words to explain Ventus's strange reaction.

"Ventus will be staying with us, but I don't want either of you two to bother him," Eraqus ordered. "He went through something terrible and has lost his memory."

Terra's eyes widened and Aqua gasped in horror. Offering help to make up for scaring Ventus, Terra took him from the old man and brought him to a room Eraqus said the boy could use. The old man thanked them and left without another word.

"Who was that man, Master?" Aqua asked once he'd left.

"An old classmate of mine, Master Xehanort," Eraqus explained. "He and I were taught by the same master years ago. I haven't seen him for a while. But he found Ventus like this and gave him to me to become a Keyblade apprentice. When he wakes up, he will become my student alongside the both of you."

"Another apprentice," Terra mused.

"Yes," Eraqus said. "But we will let the poor boy sleep for now. Xehanort didn't tell me the details of how Ventus lost his memory. All he knows is that the boy is capable of wielding a Keyblade. Other than that, we know nothing…"

"He must've been thought something horrible," Aqua said. "Master Xehanort doesn't know what?"

"No, he found Ventus like that. But he knew he could sense the power of the Keyblade in Ventus," Eraqus said. "I sense it too. The boy has much potential. And we'll see how good he is once he wakes up… Whenever that will be…" He left the room.

"Wow…" Terra said. "I guess he panicked like he did because he doesn't remember anything that had to do with the questions I asked."

"You didn't know, Terra," Aqua said. "With any luck, he'll be okay once he wakes up." She looked uneasy though.

"Well, I just know not to ask him any questions again," Terra said. He and Aqua left together. But their thoughts remained in Ventus's room about the poor sleeping boy lying in bed.

"I wonder how he lost his memory," Terra said. He'd walked outside to think just as the sun was setting.

"Master Eraqus doesn't know," a voice said from behind. Terra jumped and turned to see Aqua standing behind him. "So, I highly doubt we'll figure it out."

Terra barely heard her. He was too busy staring at the way Aqua's hair caught the sunlight. He'd always noticed that about her. And every time he saw it, she always looked more beautiful.

"Terra?" she asked. He snapped out of it. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Sorry," Terra said. "I was just surprised to see you there. I thought I was alone."

"Oh," Aqua said. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Terra said. "I was just wondering about Ventus. How he lost his memory."

"Amnesia is brought on by either traumatic events, or a big clunk on the head," Aqua said. "He's not hurt, so it must've been something else that happened to him. The question is… What?"

"I don't know," Terra said. "Maybe we'll get an answer when he finally wakes up."

They hoped in the morning Ventus would be awake. However, he remained in a deep sleep. It was the same for several more days. The poor boy would just not wake up.

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(1)- It's her normal outfit in Birth by Sleep. I just don't feel like describing it.

**Okay, Ventus has made his arrival. This chapter wasn't meant to be long. It was just meant for Ven to come into the story.**

**By the way, I actually think this part of the true Kingdom Hearts storyline actually happens four years prior to the game. If you've seen the very start of the game, you'll know why. Let's just say… it has to do with Sora. I'd just say Ven, Terra, and Aqua were younger than they are in this story. But in this, Ven is 14 just to let you know. The rest of the story now happens one year before Birth by Sleep.**

**Anyway, leave a review if you wish. And also, I'd like to read the things you like about the chapters. I like to know what the readers like.**


	11. Three Apprentices

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**More spoilers in this chapter involving the start up to Terra's first appearance in the chapter.**

**Chapter 11 – Three Apprentices**

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It had been two weeks since that old man had brought Ventus to the Land of Departure. And in those two weeks, the poor boy still hadn't woken up.

Aqua was watching over him sadly. Ventus looked like he was on a deathbed. His breathing was shallow, he barely moved, and his face was always bearing an expression of pain.

"Why are you still sleeping?" Aqua asked sadly. If Ventus heard her, he didn't respond. Aqua simply walked away to go train with Terra. Eraqus had expected them a while ago, but he understood their concern for poor Ventus.

Just as she had her hand on the knob to shut the door, Ventus groaned. Aqua turned and saw the boy open his eyes, but they still seemed somewhat void of expression. Aqua ran up to him.

"Alright! You're finally awake!" she exclaimed. Going back to the door, Aqua threw it open and screamed down the hall, "Terra! Master Eraqus! Ventus finally woke up!" She turned back to Ventus, who was trying to sit up. Aqua went over to help him.

"I'm coming!" Terra shouted from somewhere. Aqua heard his thundering footsteps as he charged towards the room.

"I'll be there in a minute!" Eraqus's voice called.

Terra ran up to the door a moment later and burst in. He was smiling over at Ventus. The boy seemed disoriented. But he turned his head and saw Terra watching him.

"Terra… Aqua…" he murmured. Apparently, he'd remembered their names even after being unconscious for two weeks.

"Are you okay, Ventus?" Aqua asked. "You really freaked us out when we met."

"What happened?" Ventus asked. Terra explained the whole thing, but he didn't ask any questions this time for fear of Ventus having another panic attack.

"I've been asleep… for two weeks?" the boy asked.

"Yes, you have," a voice said. They turned to the door and saw Master Eraqus standing there. "I'm glad to see you're awake, Ventus."

"Yes, sir," Ventus whispered.

"Do you remember anything that happened to you before coming here?" Eraqus asked as he approached the boy.

"No, sir," was the answer.

"I see… Well, in any case, we cannot waste time."

"Are we going to try and figure out Ventus's cause of memory loss?" Aqua asked.

"I will look into it," Eraqus explained as he walked towards the door. "But for now, we're going to leave him be. We'll let Ventus attempt to recover his memory on his own for the time being. In the morning, I expect you all in the throne room bright and early."

"Early?" Terra asked. "Why?"

"So that I can accept Ventus as my student," Eraqus answered. "If he truly is able to wield the Keyblade like Master Xehanort claims he can, Ventus will be joining you two as a new apprentice. Try and see what he can do in the meantime." And with that, he left.

"Ventus, do you know what a Keyblade is?" Aqua asked. They let him take his time to answer, but Ventus eventually just shook his head.

"We'll show you, then," Terra offered. He held up his arm and summoned his Keyblade. "Just think about it and it will come to you."

"I think… I did it… once…" Ventus replied softly. He held up his hand, but all that happened was the flash of light that appears when a Keyblade is summoned.

"It's a start," Aqua said.

"But not much of one," Terra said. Aqua couldn't argue with that.

"Give it another try," she encouraged. "Really concentrate and you'll be able to do it." Ventus nodded.

He lifted his hand again. Closing his eyes, Ventus really concentrated and was able to do it. An oddly shaped Keyblade appeared in his hand. It was dominantly black save for the guard, which was yellow and actually jutted out with the handle to grip it between it and the blade itself. The teeth were rounded, but still sharp enough to do some damage and they were located on the same side of the blade as the handle. It had a keychain that looked like a small ball of green wind.

"Nice one," Terra said.

"It kind of looks like a wing," Aqua said.

"Yeah… it does," Terra said. He had been trying to think of the same thing, but the word 'wing' didn't occur to him. Ventus made it disappear.

"Well, it's good to know that he can use a Keyblade," Terra said. "That Master Xehanort was right all along." Aqua nodded and Ventus didn't respond.

"How about we show Ventus around?" Aqua asked.

"Sounds good," Terra said. "Would you like us to show you the castle, Ventus?" After a moment's silence, the boy said he would like a tour.

Terra and Aqua showed Ventus around the place until sunset, and they hadn't even covered half the castle. They'd gone at a steady pace for Ventus's sake since he was still a little tired. He looked ready to pass out again any second. But when they were eating dinner, Ventus ate like someone who'd been starved their whole life. Two weeks of sleep apparently means you'll wake up hungry.

The next morning, Terra went to get Ventus from his room. They were doing as Master Eraqus had instructed the day before to bring him to the throne room first thing in the morning. Aqua had gone ahead and was waiting with the master himself.

"How are you feeling, Ventus?" Eraqus asked when Terra and Ventus had entered the room.

"No different," Ventus replied. "Just tired."

"I guess his memories won't take just another night's rest to return," Aqua said.

"No, they won't," Eraqus replied. "But for now, Terra had told me that Ventus can indeed use the Keyblade. Ventus, will you summon yours?" Ventus held up his hand and summoned his Keyblade.

"That's a special one," Eraqus said. "It's built for speed. I'll enjoy being able to take you on as my student."

"Your… student?" Ventus asked.

"Yes. You will become my apprentice along with Terra and Aqua. I will teach you how to use the Keyblade and, with time, you will become a master."

Ventus nodded and slightly smiled.

"Then, take these," Eraqus held up a chunk of shoulder armor, like Terra's, and a silver badge attached to black straps, similar to the pink ones Aqua wore. Aqua adjusted the badge and straps before Terra helped with the armor.

"Welcome to our new apprentice," Eraqus said. Ventus smiled and his eyes brightened up. When he looked at Terra and Aqua with a smile on his face, his eyes finally looked alive.

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**Okay, Ven's awake. And just so everyone's aware, I don't really know how long Ven was asleep in the game after he arrived with Xehanort. I just guessed two weeks because that **_**is**_** kind of a long time for someone to be asleep.**

**Anyway, leave a review if you wish.**


	12. Feelings

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**WARNING: This chapter has spoilers like the last two.**

**Chapter 12- Feelings**

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Three days later, Terra and Aqua discovered that Ventus had some good fighting skills. It seemed like he'd been training to be a Keyblade wielder for years. It was weird, but Ventus couldn't tell them anything about it because he still hadn't regained his memories. Master Eraqus said it might take years for Ventus to regain them. His eyes still had a small bit of blankness in them, but he was more active and open with them.

That morning, Terra had decided that Ventus was a little too long a name. So, he'd given him the nickname Ven. Ventus had seemed to like it, he didn't do more than give a small smile and nod. Aqua thought it was nice. So now, Ventus was just Ven.

The apprentices were in the courtyard training together. Well, Terra and Ven were training. Aqua was watching. But they weren't using Keyblades. Although Ven had shown them his Keyblade, he wasn't too ready to use it due to his amnesia. Eraqus wanted to wait a while and see if Ven's memory would return even a little before he used the Keyblade too much.

Terra was using an old wooden Keyblade that he'd made himself. It was quite similar to his actual Keyblade, only difference being that it was made of wood and had no Keychain. He'd even inscribed his name on the guard. Ven was using a simple wooden sword. And because of this, Terra was winning every single battle. He'd just knocked Ven onto his back for the fifth time.

"Come on, Ven," Terra said. "I thought you'd be stronger than that." (1)

"Come on, Ven!" Aqua cheered. "You can do it!"

"No way!" Terra protested with a smirk. "If he can't simply knock my sword out of my hand, then he's got no chance!" Ven understood that Terra was just teasing him to make him try harder, but it didn't mean he liked it.

Determined to knock the wooden Keyblade out of Terra's hand even one time, Ven grabbed his discarded sword, which he used backwards just like his Keyblade, and charged.

Terra parried Ven's strike, but the younger boy then counterattacked from behind and hit Terra in the back. Terra spun and hit Ven with the butt of the Keyblade and Ven fell face forward on the ground, but he jumped back up quickly. That time, Ven zigzagged around Terra and managed to turn his sword forward and poked Terra's hand. The Keyblade flew out of it and skidded across the ground.

Aqua applauded as Terra clapped Ven on the back. Ven grinned sheepishly and Terra retrieved his wooden Keyblade.

"Why not take a break, guys?" Aqua asked. They'd been practicing for almost an hour now. And it was easy to see that Ven was worn down.

"Good idea," Terra said. He wiped his forehead and went over to sit on the courtyard ledge. Aqua joined him and Ven, after a minute, sat between them.

They mostly sat in silence and watched the sky. Ven looked down with the beat up wooden sword in his lap.

"Ven, your sword sure took a beating," Terra said. Ven noticed him looking down at the toy.

"It's from all the hard training," Aqua said with an encouraging smile.

"Just the same, using these wooden toys isn't the same as using the Keyblade," Terra said. He held up his wooden Keyblade. "And when we master control of the Keyblade, we'll be able to become masters."

Terra then stood up and cleared his throat. Holding up his sword in a salute, he said, "With our blades, we'll learn to fight. We've been given the power to do good in the universe as the Keyblade's chosen ones!"

"What's that all about?" Aqua asked with a giggle. "Are you planning to be a master before us?"

"It's my dream to become a Keyblade Master!" Terra proclaimed. Ven shared a glance with Aqua, rather glumly on Ven's part, before Aqua responded.

"You mean that it's _our_ dream, right?" she corrected. Terra laughed and kneeled down to their level again.

"Oh yeah," he said. "All three of us. Our dream." He offered Ven the wooden Keyblade. Ven gratefully took it and grasped the blade.

"You take that, Ven," Terra said.

"Are you sure, Terra?" Ven asked.

"Sure thing. Consider it a present. It's yours now, Ven."

Ven stood up too. "Thanks, Terra," he said.

Later on, Ven had started practicing on obstacle courses to try and get a hang of his Keyblade. He'd put Terra's wooden one up in his room. Terra himself was watching Ven go at it on the obstacle course. Aqua, however, had gone for a walk into the gardens. They grew loads of beautiful flowers there, but they were all water flowers, rather than just flowers that grew on bushes.

She sometimes came out here to think and clear her head. It was nice to get some privacy if you were the only girl with two guys, now three. Eraqus had become like a second father to her, and Terra… Well, she didn't entirely know how she thought of Terra. But for now, he was her best friend. And Ven would become a friend soon enough. He was still pretty quiet, but she was beginning to think of him like a little brother.

"Hey, Aqua," a voice said. She turned and saw Terra walking towards her.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Master Eraqus officially wants Ven to start training tomorrow morning," Terra said. "He wants us to help him as he trains since we're at a higher level."

"Okay."

Terra sat down next to Aqua and turned his head to the sunset. After some silence while watching the sunset, Terra spoke.

"So, what do you think of Ven so far?" he asked. Aqua cocked an eyebrow.

"Why do you ask that?" she replied.

"Just… wondering…" Terra said with a shrug. He anxiously scratched the back of his neck. He didn't want to tell Aqua the real reason he was asking. He was asking Aqua's opinion of Ven because he wanted to know what chance he'd have against Ven if Aqua developed feelings for him. In other words, Terra wanted to prevent himself from getting jealous before it ever had a chance to really affect him.

That's right. Terra had a crush on Aqua. When she first came to the Land of Departure, Terra had started to think about how pretty she was. Even the instant he first saw her, he thought she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. As she'd peacefully slept during her first few days there, Terra had been the one who took her some water in case she'd be thirsty upon waking up. Back then, and now still, Aqua was so beautiful.

"Something up?" she asked. Terra snapped out of his daze. Aqua had really been taking notice of the times Terra would just stare at her. She didn't understand what it was about.

"What do you mean?" Terra asked.

"You were asking me what I think of Ven," Aqua reminded him. Terra didn't reply. "Well, he just seems like a little boy right now, Terra. He's lost his memory and needs time to get them back. For now, I'm just going to try and help him. If anything, he's just going to feel like a little brother."

"Oh…" Terra hadn't thought of that, but Ven did seem like that. "Okay, then."

"Why are you asking?"

"I… I just…" Terra hesitated. "I don't know." Aqua rolled her eyes.

"It's okay, Terra," she said. "But seriously, Ven is no more than a little brother."

Aqua was really still wondering why Terra would ask that question. Was it because he was jealous? How embarrassing. She was hesitant, but Aqua would never feel jealous, even if Terra did ever fall in love with someone else.

Although Terra didn't know, Aqua had had feelings for him ever since they first met. Not the night she appeared in the Land of Departure, the day when she and Terra actually spoke for the first time. Becoming friends with him was more than she could've asked for, but these feelings… Aqua wasn't sure if Terra returned them or not and had never approached him that way in case he would turn her away. She didn't want to ruin their friendship if Terra didn't feel the same.

"Well, I'm going in," Aqua suddenly said. "See you later." She stood up and walked away.

"Okay," Terra said. He stayed out a little while longer. Wondering about his and Aqua's own hesitations when it came to that question about Ven.

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(1)- Just so you're aware, Terra says the Japanese equivalent of that in the game. So, I bet he'll say the same thing in English. Riku says it enough times. *slaps forehead*

**A note: I can't understand the speech Terra makes in the game. I know parts of it, but I mostly don't understand it. So, I made some of this up. Though, if someone could translate it, I'd appreciate it.**

**Okay, there's that chapter. What d'ya say we speed this up a little more? Time to get to the real action. But wait until the next chapter.**

**By the way, this is the last spoiler chapter. Don't expect anymore.**


	13. The Mission

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Note: Ven finally actually acts like himself in this chapter. So, he's not the boring zombie anymore. YAY!**

**And another note, I'm gonna start using names of attacks they use in Birth by Sleep rather than just magic attack names. Just for some fun.**

**Also, thank you to surxi25 for telling me where I could find some subs for Birth by Sleep. Much appreciated.**

**Chapter 13- The Mission**

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Months passed and Ven began to open up more with Terra and Aqua. They'd all become close friends as well.

It turned out that Ven had his own unique fighting style just like Terra and Aqua. Rather than power or magic being his strength, Ven's specialty for his battle style was speed. He was fast, and his Keyblade being held backwards was just perfect for this. Ven had even given his Keyblade a name similar to his own, just like Terra and Aqua had. His Keyblade was called Fresh Breeze.

Ventus had also picked up on magic very fast, much like Aqua had when she first arrived. Ven even taught them some spells he just happened to know. Possibly some of his old memories resurfacing, but that was all. Ventus had no details of how he learned these spells or who taught them to him. He just seemed to know them off the top of his head sometimes.

Anyway, the trio was currently training together in the courtyard. They were competing in a three-way battle. Aqua just cartwheeled out of Ven's oncoming attack. Terra attacked Ven from behind, but Ven rolled out of the way just in time. Aqua then cast a Thundara spell around the field. Ven and Terra went into a frenzy not to get hit by the lightning bolts until they stopped.

Ven almost got zapped in the foot and Terra managed to block a bolt by using Earth Shaker to protect himself. Seeing that it failed, Aqua then attempted to use a Rainbow Shower attack (2). She charged up and shot multiple bursts of colored light that homed in on Terra and Ven. Terra miraculously dodged at the last second and some lights hit the ground. Ven wasn't so lucky. He got hit on the shoulder where his armor was. But he quickly cast Cure and charged back into battle. He tried to execute a speed attack and managed to hit Terra, who went after Aqua and managed to knock her Keyblade out of her hand.

Aqua ran after her Keyblade and snatched it up just before Ven managed to hit her. Jumping over Ven, Aqua shot Blizzard magic at him. Ven counteracted with an Aero spell to blow the ice away. Terra then attempted to perform a Strike Raid and stun Aqua, but she jumped away and it hit poor Ven in the back instead.

"Enough!" Eraqus shouted. Terra and Aqua all turned and saw their master coming out of the castle. Ven was still dazed from the Strike Raid attack. Terra did another Cure spell on Ven. That put him right and they faced Eraqus.

"Is something wrong, Master?" Aqua asked.

"This is urgent and I need all three of you to pay attention," Eraqus said. The trio stood straight and tall.

"There is some type of danger forming in another world," Eraqus explained.

"What kind of danger?" Terra asked.

"I am not sure," Eraqus said. "But Master Xehanort and myself have reason to believe that someone is building up an army of Heartless with the intent to take over the worlds. There has been a massive amount of Heartless appearing in that world due to someone's darkness in their heart."

"Why is that so bad?" Ven asked. Everyone stared at him. "The darkness, I mean." Aqua and Terra relaxed, but Eraqus didn't.

"The Heartless feed off the darkness of people's hearts," Eraqus said. "They are difficult to control, but not impossible if you have the right power. The darkness in your heart may cause the Heartless to attack even their commander, though. But they learn soon enough who they are led by and who are their targets.

"We'll set out right away, Master," Terra said.

"Good," their master replied. "Terra, you are leader. Make me proud." Terra nodded. "Aqua, take care of Ventus. This will be his first time leaving the Land of Departure since his arrival."

"Yes, sir," Aqua said.

"And, Ventus, be careful," Eraqus instructed. Ven nodded.

"All three of you, our enemy must not be taken lightly. Until we identify the cause of all these Heartless, be on your guard. They will strike at you from out of nowhere and will try to steal your hearts to turn you into Heartless as well. That must not happen. I need all three of you. The _worlds_ need all three of you." The apprentices nodded.

"The future of the worlds depends on you," Eraqus continued. "I know you will all prevail. Follow what your hearts say. They will be able to guide you."

"Yes, sir," Terra, Ven, and Aqua said as one.

"Good," Eraqus said. He raised his Keyblade and opened a vortex behind the apprentices. It sent out a huge whirl of wind. "Go through there. You will arrive in the world immediately."

"What's the world called, Master?" Ven shouted over the wind.

"It is called Ancient Paradise, I believe," Eraqus stated. "Go to the city in the world and meet with hits ruler. He knows you are coming as I spoke with him earlier and told him that you would come to find out the cause of the Heartless. There are also some people who will assist you. They go by the names of Lightning, Hope, and Xion. Now go."

Terra and Aqua nodded because they knew what to do when traveling to different worlds now. They smacked the armor on their left arms and were then completely armored. Ven did the same and now wore his own armor. He thought it was the coolest thing he'd ever seen. Then, Terra and Aqua summoned their Keyblades and tossed them into the air. Terra's turned into something like a motorbike and Aqua's became a giant bow. They got on and Aqua motioned for Ven to come on her Rider. He hadn't learned how to make a Keyblade Rider yet, but there was more than enough room on Terra and Aqua's rides for two people.

They rode through the vortex and into a place filled with stars. It was an incredible sight, but they couldn't speak about it due to the fact that they wouldn't be able to hear anything over the roar of their Riders. So, they rode in silence through the void until a bright light appeared. They rode into it and came out in a forest. The trio got off their Riders and dismissed their armor before looking around.

The sky above was a light grey, like a storm was blowing in or had just left. Wind blew through the trees.

"This place is creepy," Aqua said.

"They call it a 'paradise'?" Ven asked.

"All worlds have some kind of weather, you two," Terra said. "Besides, we're in the middle of a forest. Let's got find the city we're looking for."

They trekked through the forest and it eventually started raining. It didn't bother them too much. But once they were soaked, they all shivered. Lucky for them, they'd just come up to a city.

It was huge. There was a twenty-foot high stone wall around the place and they could just barely see the tips of a castle's towers. Guards were at the gates.

"What do you three want?" the guards asked.

"We're looking for some people," Terra explained. "We were told to look for Lightning, Hope, and Xion… right?" he asked Aqua and Ven. They both nodded.

"Hmm… Xion I know, not the other two," the guard said. "She usually goes into the forest at this time of day. You can wait for her here."

"Thanks," Terra said. But Ven just couldn't hold still.

"Why don't we just go look?" he asked.

"Not a bad thought," Aqua added.

"Hmm… okay," Terra said. He turned back to the guards. "Which way did Xion go?" he asked.

"Xion normally goes to the nearby training area," the guard said. "Just go back the way you came and go down the first path to the left. You'll get to the training grounds after a minute of just following the path."

"Thank you," Aqua said. The trio turned and went up the path again. That's when they heard a clang and a yelp. They charged along the path.

Several Heartless were in a clearing. They surrounded a girl with short black hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, dark blue shorts, and knee-high black boots. In her hands was a Keyblade, a rather simple looking one. A little like Ven's too, except the handle and guard weren't off to the side like Ven's.

"Get away stupid Heartless!" she snapped. One jumped at her and she slashed right through it. She then resorted to a Firaga spell and at least half the Heartless exploded.

"Watch out!" Ven shouted. He charged into battle with Fresh Breeze. Terra and Aqua followed up with their Keyblades. Within minutes, all the Heartless were gone.

"Thanks for the help," the girl said. "So, if you're Keyblade bearers, I'm guessing that you're Terra," she pointed at him, "Ventus," she pointed at Ven," and Aqua," again with the pointing.

"That's right," Ven said. "But I prefer being called Ven."

"Okay then," the girl said. "I'm Xion by the way."

"We came looking for you when those guards said you'd be out here," Aqua said.

"I knew you were coming," Xion said. "Your master talked to mine and set me up with a mission to watch over you guys while you were here."

"We came to investigate why all the Heartless appeared in this world," Terra explained.

"I know that," Xion retorted. "Thing is, we don't know what's causing them either. Nor does the king."

"Master Eraqus did say we were supposed to meet the king," Aqua added.

"Do you work for him, Xion?" Ven asked.

"Not really," Xion answered. "He knows about me through my parents. But I don't do anything for him. I'm kind of one of the city's secret peacekeepers since there are few weapons that can actually get rid of the Heartless. The group I work with has each type of weapon. I'm the only Keyblade wielder."

"Do you know two people by the names of Lightning and Hope?" Terra added.

"Sure do," Xion said. "They're friends of mine." She smiled. "Come on. We'll explain the whole situation once you meet my friends." She walked out of the training grounds and Terra, Ven, and Aqua followed her.

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(1)- Just a little tip, Fresh Breeze is the actual name of Ven's Keyblade.

(2)- I think Rainbow Shower is a really cool attack. I like watching it in action and can't wait to try it out in Birth by Sleep.

**By the way, Lightning and Hope are in fact the characters from Final Fantasy XIII. I like those two, that's why they're in here. Xion's for a similar reason, she's my favorite Organization member.**

**If you think the bad guy's plot is lame, I'm sorry. I couldn't think of anything else. But hey, the villain is original. So, you have that to look forward to. Besides, the villain's plot is kind of different from a villain's normal plot. See the actual games for details. Besides, the Heartless aren't the main point of the story. They're just part of the bad guy's plot.**

**Anyway, comment if you wish.**


	14. Ancient Paradise

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Nor do I own Final Fantasy XIII.**

**NOTE: Everyone keeps asking about why I'm using the Heartless rather than the Unversed. Simply put, the Unversed are a threat in BBS and I don't want to use them. Their first actual mentioning in the story was… well, I'll spoil it if I say. Anyone who's seen the game, at least in Aqua and Terra's storylines will know what part it is. But Heartless do make a brief cameo in one of Ven's flashbacks. Plus, it's explained that Heartless have basically existed since before the timeline of the game. Listen to Kairi's grandmother's story and you'll get the idea. It's just the Emblem Heartless that didn't exist at this time. That's why there's only Pureblood Heartless.**

**Chapter 14- Ancient Paradise**

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Rather than leading Terra, Ven, and Aqua into the city like they'd expected, Xion led them deeper into the forest. They eventually came to a campsite. The camp guards halted Xion because she was with 'strangers'. Xion explained about who the trio was and they were allowed to pass. Several people in the camp stopped to stare at them. More than once, a guy winked at Aqua and she blushed. Terra quietly groaned every single time.

"Xion, I think the king knows we're coming," Ven said.

"Aqua already said that," Xion said. "And I'm gonna take you to meet him. But you really need to meet Lightning first. She's in charge of the group I work with and I believe you were also ordered to meet her."

"She's right, Ven," Terra pointed out.

"I'm actually supposed to be your escort to the palace anyway," Xion said. "My friend and I will tell you about what we've discovered with the Heartless, then I'll take you to meet the king."

"Sounds like a plan," Aqua said. The boys agreed.

Xion led them further into the camp until they reached a big tent at the end. She pushed a flap open and a boy came out. He looked just about Xion's age and had silver hair and blue-green eyes (1). He was wearing a yellow and orange jacket. His pants were green and he also had black and white gloves on.

"Hey, Xion," he said.

"Hey, Hope," Xion replied. Terra squeezed his leg to keep from laughing and Ven couldn't hold back a snicker.

"What's so funny?" Aqua asked.

"Isn't Hope a girl's name?" Ven asked.

"My mom named me that because it's a good name," Hope snapped. But everyone else swore he was blushing.

"It's a very nice name," Aqua said. She gently placed a hand on Hope's shoulder and he smiled at her.

"Well, come on," he said. "Lightning is waiting to meet you." They all went inside and saw a woman with light pink hair bent over a map on a table. She looked up and revealed her light blue eyes to the others. She was pretty, Ven supposed, but she had this serious demeanor about her that practically screamed, "Don't get me mad". She was wearing a white vest with a long black sleeve under the blue glove on her left hand; she wore a matching glove on her right hand.

"Terra, Ven, and Aqua?" she asked.

"Yes," the trio replied in unison.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lightning," she replied. "Your master told me about you three and the job he's sent you here to do."

"Yeah," Ven said. "He told us that you knew."

"Anyway," Terra said, "we're here to learn what you've gathered about the Heartless. What do you know?"

Lightning went over to a basket and pulled out a long scroll. She gave it to Terra. "That has all our findings about the Heartless," she said. "But it's just basic observations. For example, they're mostly coming out at night, but occasionally attack during the day. They attack large groups of people or people that are all alone. Plus, any weapon we wield is one that can defeat them."

"What makes your weapons so special?" Aqua asked. Terra and Ven were reading the scroll.

"We've enhanced them with magic," Lightning replied. "Regular weapons don't work on the Heartless. We gotta hit them with our weapons to get rid of them for good." Hope nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "Magic, magic-enhanced weapons, weapons made by magic, or weapons like your Keyblades can destroy the Heartless for good. It's a good thing we've got Xion or the job might be harder." Xion grinned.

"Alright," Xion said. "I'll take these three to the city. The king's expecting them."

"Okay, Xion," Lightning replied. "Report back in the morning."

"Will do, Light," Xion said as she marched back to the tent entrance. Ven and Aqua followed. But Lightning held Terra back for a minute.

"Terra, keep an eye on Aqua," she said.

"Uh… why?" Terra asked.

"The king has a habit of setting his eyes on pretty girls. He once wanted my sister. Too bad for him, she's engaged. But still, Aqua has this amazing glow about her. Any man would want her instantly."

Terra hesitated, but he agreed with Lightning's instructions and followed Xion, Ven, and Aqua.

As they walked back to the city entrance, Terra couldn't stop thinking about what Lightning had said. Could she read minds or something? And if so, did she somehow know about his feelings for Aqua? Whatever the case, Terra planned to listen to Lightning's advice. He decided to tell Ven about it later, but he would stay silent about it until then.

It turned out that the guard who'd told Ven, Terra, and Aqua about Xion was apparently the girl's cousin. He let them into the city after a quick high-five with Xion.

The inside of the city was actually quite nice. It was crumbling in some places, but that was from Heartless attacks as Xion firmly put it. The city was full of people going about their separate ways, some rather hastily, but some were happy. The market was bustling with business and it was full of colorful stone buildings.

"It's nice here," Aqua said as they approached the castle.

"It _is_ called Ancient Paradise," Xion said. "And just so you're aware, it's called ancient because it's been around for a long time. But while some of those crumbling areas are results of the Heartless attacks. Other places crumble from age."

"So, what do you actually do with your friends back in the forest?" terra asked.

"I told you," Xion reminded. "We keep the peace around here. Basically, we investigate crimes, monsters in the area, and of course, the Heartless. But sometimes we're asked to take care of reconstruction projects where the city crumbles and all. Right now, the only thing we're investigating is the Heartless."

"So, are you guys the only group involved?" Terra asked.

"No one else is willing to get near the Heartless due to the limited ways to defeat them. The other guilds and organizations in the city are doing the business we also oversee, such as crimes and construction."

"Wow," Ven said. "It takes a lot to keep this city running, huh?"

"Yup," Xion said. "But it's worth it if the city stays safe. We just wish we knew why all those Heartless keep showing up. And more and more people are disappearing too."

"And you're not investigating that?" Terra asked critically.

"We know the reason," Xion said. "The Heartless. I thought that was obvious."

Terra rubbed his neck sheepishly. Just then, they came up to the castle gates.

"Anyway, let's get into the castle," Xion said. She explained their reason for visiting to the guards and they were let by. They walked through huge hallways lined with guards and servants. Then, they reached a massive door.

"Okay, guys," Xion said. "Time for you to meet the King of Ancient Paradise." The guards standing around opened the massive doors and they entered possibly the biggest throne room in history.

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(1)- Just so you guys know, I can't tell what Hope's eye color is. It's either green or blue, but I've never gotten a really good look. So, I put blue-green.

**Another thing for Hope, sorry for teasing with the girl's name thing. But I'm being honest, I've never met a boy with that name. I've only met a girl.**

**Also, the glow about Aqua that Lightning mentioned is the light of her heart. Terra feels it too.**

**Anyway, reviews are appreciated.**


	15. King Crudelis

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**A note for Takers Hidden Soul Mate: No, I will not be interfering with the BBS storyline.**

**A note for EVERYONE: For crying out loud! No one ask me about the Unversed anymore! I'm not including them mostly because I don't want to! And they only became a threat during the BBS story! Master Xehanort and Vanitas play no part in the story whatsoever! Xehanort only appeared to leave Ven with Eraqus! THAT'S IT! Sorry. But I had to rant. But still, no Unversed. The Heartless are the problem and let's just put that the Unversed don't exist yet.**

**Chapter 15- King Crudelis**

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The throne room was HUGE! The stone that it was built of was all a faded red color. Large tapestries decorated the walls too. There were also guards every seven feet apart and they watched as the Keyblade apprentices and Xion walked towards the throne at the end of the room. As soon as she reached the end, she knelt down and Terra, Ven, and Aqua did the same.

The king was a tall man, maybe around Terra's height, with dark eyes and black hair. He wore red and yellow robes as well as gold armor on his shoulders. He had this kind of regal expression that made you feel obedient just by looking at him. Ven couldn't help feeling out of place with that king in the room. Terra and Aqua weren't affected by the king's presence at all.

"King Crudelis," Xion said, "I've brought the three apprentices of the Keyblade Master Eraqus with me to greet you." The king looked at the three apprentices and settled his gaze on Aqua before smiling and standing.

"Thank you, Xion," the king said. "Welcome, young Keyblade bearers. I trust your journey here was well?" He was still just looking at Aqua, which made her uncomfortable. Terra scowled.

"It was good, Your Majesty," Ven said. Crudelis turned his attention to Ven briefly. "So… we heard you know about the Heartless problem?"

Terra smacked his forehead at Ven's bluntness, Aqua let out a sigh, and Xion rolled her eyes. Crudelis just let out a chuckle.

"Yes, indeed," he said. "I know about the Heartless. But why they appear, I don't know. That is why we've called in Keyblade bearers who have experience with the monsters. Eraqus has told me much about the training you three go through. I would guess it's a picnic for apprentices like you if he's praised you so highly. Now, your names, please?"

"I'm Terra."

"Ventus. But everyone calls me Ven."

"My name is Aqua."

"Such a pleasure," King Crudelis said. "I humbly welcome the three of you to Ancient Paradise. And if you'll allow me, I'd like to show all three of you around my castle."

The trio accepted as they figured they couldn't say 'no' to a king. Xion left to attend to other business, but she assured the trio that she would see them tomorrow. But Terra felt disgruntled when the king tried to have Aqua walk arm-in-arm with him. He was annoyed at first, but Aqua withdrew from Crudelis' touch. The king scowled, but didn't say anything.

The castle was gigantic. Tapestries decorated every wall as well as windows that had a view of a massive garden.

"Your garden is beautiful," Aqua said when they walked outside.

"You like flowers?" King Crudelis asked.

"Yes," Aqua explained. "In the world I come from, there's a massive garden near the palace that anyone can go in and pick flowers. The Ruler, Ansem the Wise, loves flowers just as he loves his people. The garden grows the most beautiful flowers. But I don't know if it's as big as this."

"Have you been to the garden before, Aqua?" Ven asked. Aqua giggled.

"What I meant is that I don't _remember_ how big it is, Ven," she corrected. "I haven't been back to Radiant Garden in quite a while. The last time I went was just before Terra and I met you."

"Well, I don't think any garden could compare to your beauty, Aqua," King Crudelis said. Aqua blushed uncomfortably. Terra glared at the king, which went unnoticed by everyone except Ven. Ven's eyes were now the size of saucers.

"Uh… Your Highness, please don't," Aqua said. She pulled away from him.

"Oh… my apologies," Crudelis said. "Are you, perhaps…?"

"No!" Aqua exclaimed. "I'm not involved with anyone. It's just… Well, I can't say."

"Understood," the king said. But the gleam in his eyes when he looked at Aqua hadn't left yet. It was getting Terra quite irritated. Again, only Ven noticed.

Terra didn't understand why Aqua had just felt so nervous, but he wouldn't ask her for fear of getting her upset. Ven, however, was too curious not to ask. But he would do it later, when the king wasn't around.

"I apologize," the king said, "to all of you. But still, I invite you three to enjoy your stay in my city. I will have an attendant show you to your quarters."

A woman with blonde hair came forward and led the trio each to different rooms. Aqua's room was across from Ven's, with Terra right next door. She felt better once she was away from the king.

The instant the hallway was clear, Ven snuck over to Terra's room and gently knocked. Terra only opened the door a crack until he saw that Ven was at the door. He let him in then locked to door behind them.

"You're in a bad mood," Ven said. He could tell just by looking at Terra's angry expression. He was clearly mad about something.

"What gave it away?" Terra asked. "That… stupid king!" He started pacing furiously.

"Whoa! Take it easy!" Ven said. He started looking around the room to see if the place was bugged. "Don't say that about the king of this place! Someone might have your head chopped off for that!"

"Don't care," Terra snarled.

"Why?"

"None of your business."

"Terra, I can see you're mad about something," Ven insisted. "But what?"

"I'm not telling you," Terra said. "It's personal."

"Does it have to do with Aqua?" Ven asked. Terra stopped dead in his pacing.

"No!" he snapped after a minute of stunned silence.

"Yes, it does," Ven said in a sing-song voice, which might not have been smart. The reason? Terra was giving Ven the King of all Death Glares. Ven suddenly felt the urge to hide under the bed if Terra somehow shot lightning out of his eyes. But after a minute, he calmed down and sighed.

"Fine," he said. "You're right."

"I knew it!" Ven said.

"How long did it take you to figure out?"

"Only once you got really impatient with the king's advances towards Aqua." After another minute's silence, Ven asked, "So, how long have you liked her?"

"Since the day she appeared in the Land of Departure three years ago," Terra said. "I thought she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen my life. And I still feel that way. She's beautiful all the way through, from her physical beauty all the way into her heart." A fondness appeared in Terra's eyes that Ven had never seen before. They were just lighting up at confessing about his feelings for the blue-haired girl right next door.

"Why don't you tell her?" Ven asked.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Terra asked. Ven cocked an eyebrow and Terra just shook his head. "You can't just tell someone you love them if you don't know how they feel back. Besides, I don't know if Aqua thinks of me as anymore than a friend. I've tried to keep it that way, but I can't help it. She just makes me feel a way I never knew I could feel before I met her."

"Do you want me to find out for you?" Ven offered.

"No, Ven," Terra said. "I'd like to find out on my own. And please, don't tell Aqua about anything I just told you."

"Fine," Ven promised. "My lips are sealed." He got up and went over to the door.

"By the way…" Terra said as Ven's hand was on the knob. "Lightning warned me about how the king will try and take an advance on beautiful girls. So, just warn Aqua about how the king has his eye on her."

"You got it," Ven said. He left the room and went to tell Aqua about Lightning's warning. She made a mental note to stay on high alert now. This king would not get to her because she would not betray her true hidden feelings for Terra. She didn't say a word to Ven about it, just simply thanked him for warning her.

That night, all three apprentices stayed on high alert for the king possibly listening in on them. They would report to Lightning's group in the morning and get into investigating the Heartless themselves.

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**Just a note, crudelis is the Latin word for cruel. I couldn't think of anything so I looked up some words in my Latin-English dictionary and found that. And now Ven knows about Terra's feelings for Aqua, which I'm actually glad I put that there. No particular reason, I just am.**

**Anyway, this chapter took a lot of thinking. Putting it together was a little tough, but I think it paid off for this result. Review if you wish.**

**I also won't be able to update for a few days. It depends due to plans this weekend. But I'll get chapter 16 up as soon as possible.**


	16. Tension

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**A note for Takers Hidden Soul Mate: No, there will be no pairings other than Terra and Aqua. I just don't feel like putting in another pairing. Besides, there aren't many other pairings for me to do. I'm sorry, there just aren't.**

**Chapter 16- Tension**

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The next morning, Ven did some training in the courtyard with Terra while they waited for Aqua to wake up. Ven was doing well, but Terra seemed half asleep as they trained. He'd had a late night spending some time pulling guard duty outside Aqua's room in case the king came along. Easy to say, Terra was still not happy about the king's advances towards Aqua.

She joined them eventually with bags under her eyes, like she hadn't gotten much sleep.

"Good morning," she yawned.

"Are you okay, Aqua?" Terra asked. "You don't look so good."

"Just tired," she said. "I didn't sleep so well."

"Was something wrong?" Ven asked.

"No…" Aqua said. "I was just thinking about a lot. It took a while for me to quiet my mind and finally pass out." Terra yawned. "Is something wrong with _you_, Terra?" Aqua asked.

"Late night, too," he grunted. "So, anybody know when Xion's gonna turn up?"

"Right now," a voice said from behind them. They saw Xion standing behind them at the top of the banister with Hope. He had a boomerang hanging over his back. Xion jumped off the balcony and landed in the fountain. She didn't mind getting wet it seemed. Hope just took the stairs.

"What's with the boomerang?" Ven asked as the newcomers approached.

"It's my weapon," Hope replied. "It's enhanced with magic to fight Heartless. And speaking of them, there were a bunch in the city on our way here."

"Not too many, though," Xion said as she swung her Keyblade around. Ven ducked just before it hit him. Xion and Hope snorted. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Ven said.

"So, what do you guys think of King Crudelis?" Hope asked.

"Don't like him," Terra muttered. He'd hoped it was silent enough, but the entire group heard him. Terra was just lucky none of Crudelis' guards were around.

"Why not?" Xion asked.

"None of your business," Terra grunted. They left it at that since Terra was glaring into space.

"He's… unsettling," Aqua said once she'd decided what word to use.

"No opinion," Ven said.

"Reasons?" Hope asked.

"Well… he made some advances towards Aqua," Ven said. "That's why she doesn't like him."

"Ven!" Aqua wailed.

"It's obvious that's why!" Ven protested. Xion and Hope were stifling giggles.

"Enough!" Terra commanded. Everyone went silent immediately.

"The king isn't why we're here," Terra said. "The Heartless are the reason. I say we just identify what's causing them and get the heck out of this world."

"I'm with Terra," Aqua said. "The sooner we terminate the Heartless and get home, the better." Ven shrugged, but agreed nonetheless.

"Good morning, everybody," a voice said.

"Speak of the devil," Terra muttered. His bad mood had just increased at the sight of King Crudelis.

"Did you all sleep well?" the king asked.

"Not really," Aqua replied.

"Dear girl, you seem distressed," the king said. "Is something the matter?"

"No, I just didn't get much sleep," Aqua said. "That's all."

"Well, I hope you perk up as the day progresses," Crudelis said with a kind smile. It didn't improve Terra or Aqua's moods at all. But Aqua attempted to smile.

"Xion, good to see you," the king said, turning his attention to her. "And Hope as well, how nice."

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Hope said.

"Good morning," Xion replied.

"Have you gotten anymore research done on why the Heartless are appearing in my kingdom?" Crudelis asked.

"Not yet," Hope said. "But that's why we came to get Terra, Ven, and Aqua. We need their help investigating the Heartless that are out there this morning."

"Well then, proceed," the king said. "Don't let me keep you waiting."

After that, Ven, Terra, and Aqua went with Hope and Xion into the city. They were greeted instantly by some Heartless. Aqua whirled around them in a fury. Terra was ferocious in battle. Within no time, they had been the only people to even touch any Heartless.

"Wow," Xion said. "You two did a number on those Heartless."

"They're both in a mood," Ven replied.

"Are not!" Terra and Aqua shouted in unison. That caused them to blush.

"Well, Light wants to meet with you guys when you get a chance," Xion said.

"Let's go now," Terra said. No one argued.

They went to the camp outside the city, where several people were putting things away. Some people were taking down tents while others were loading up wagons.

"What's going on?" Ven asked.

"We're moving to the mountains," Hope explained. "Some Heartless attacked last night and we need to move to a safer place. There's a good spot near the base of the mountains."

"Can we come too?" Terra asked.

"I thought you guys would be more comfortable in the castle," Xion said.

"Anything to get away from the king," Aqua said.

Xion shrugged and Hope snorted. "You'll have to take it up with the king and Lightning then," Xion said. "You need their permission not ours."

"Why the king's?" Terra asked.

"Because you're his guests," Hope said. "Lightning just needs to know you're coming… if you are."

"Fine," Aqua said.

They proceeded to find Lightning, who was just reading scrolls of notes outside where her tent had been. It was now taken down and her section of the campsite was empty save for a wagon, which had all her supplies in it. The wagon was attached to a fine brown horse.

"Morning," she muttered as they approached. When she looked up, she said, "Terra, Aqua, you both look awful."

"We know," they said in unison. Terra stifled a yawn and Aqua rubbed her eyes.

"Something wrong?"

"Long night," once again, said in unison.

"Do I want to know?" Lightning asked Ven.

"Probably not," he replied. Lightning shrugged and dropped the subject.

"So, about the Heartless…"

Lightning told the trio about how she'd deduced that they were living somewhere under the city, in some kind of nest. But where the nest was, that remained unknown. But if they checked all the secret passages around the city, they might eventually find it.

The group spent the whole day checking secret passages throughout Ancient Paradise. Through the markets, the shops, the resident houses, but still no sign of a passage leading to the Heartless nest. Eventually, there were secret passage left in only one place that hadn't been checked yet…

King Crudelis' castle.

"Why there?" Terra moaned.

"There's passages everywhere," Lightning replied. "That place can only be checked on the inside. Just find the nest and you guys can join us in the mountains."

"Got it," Ven said. He, unlike Terra and Aqua, was not completely annoyed by the king. The trio headed back to the castle. And once they were greeted by the king, who would still not take his uncomfortable gaze off Aqua, they explained that they would be joining Lightning's group in the forest once they were done searching the passages.

"I feel disappointed that you three won't stay here longer," the king said once he'd heard their news.

"Your Majesty, we're here to terminate the Heartless, not enjoy ourselves," Terra said. "Come on, you two," he added to Ven and Aqua. They all walked out of the room and split up. However, Terra made sure he stayed close enough to Aqua without her noticing. He was always a hallway away from her.

Until he went up one floor and Aqua was left alone. Terra hadn't noticed that Aqua was still on the floor below. That's when King Crudelis took the opportunity to get Aqua alone.

"Aqua, how is the search going?" he asked kindly while approaching her. Aqua felt unnerved by this.

"Not so good," Aqua said. "We can't find anything. And I swear I checked some passages at least four times by going in through a different route. That was both dizzying and annoying."

"You get used to it living here," Crudelis said. "I got lost in all those passages as a boy. But there are many passages even I haven't explored."

"Fascinating," Aqua said without interest. She did her best to avoid eye contact. Instead, she just watched the king's feet as he crept closer to her.

"Aqua, will you take a walk with me?" The king offered his hand to her.

"I need to get back to searching," Aqua replied.

"Don't worry. You can come right back. It's just… I'd like you to see the sunset before you leave the castle. It's always so beautiful from the balconies."

Aqua couldn't protest because Crudelis had grabbed her hand and started dragging her away. So, she just went with the king and kept telling herself not to look him in the eyes.

At the balcony, the sun was just setting and it cast a lovely glow over Ancient Paradise. Aqua couldn't stop looking at it, which she was grateful for because it kept her gaze away from the king.

"How beautiful," Aqua whispered.

"It truly is," Crudelis said. "Such a pity that this is the only place in the city to see this and you will be leaving later. Unable to see it anymore."

"Well, I have to help my friends with the Heartless situation," Aqua said. "I hope that once they're gone, the people can live in peace and you can get on with ruling your people."

"The city will be perfectly fine so long as the Heartless are taken care of," the king said. "The same goes for myself."

"Good to know," Aqua said.

"Aqua…"

"Hmm?"

"I know I only met you but a day ago," the king said. He reached for Aqua's hand, but she retracted. "But I have never seen a maiden more beautiful than you."

"Your Majesty…" Aqua said. She felt very uncomfortable now. He was reaching for her shoulders and he pulled her close to him.

Unnoticed by either of them, Terra, Ven, and Xion were just coming down the hall discussing the Heartless situation. They hid in the shadows once they saw the king and Aqua.

"Oh, he isn't…" Terra snarled, seeing the king wrap his arms around Aqua. The girl herself looked completely alarmed. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Oh, he _is_," Xion said. Her awe-filled eyes were huge. Ven's jaw had dropped.

"Aqua…" the king sighed.

"Your Majesty, STOP!" Aqua screamed as Crudelis attempted to put his lips to hers and kiss her. She tried to push him away, but his grip was like iron. That was when Terra shouted in rage and attacked.

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**If anyone is freaking out about the end, you're not the only one, I assure you. I didn't like writing that part, but hey, I wanted Terra to have an anger fit. Here it is. You'll see the aftermath in the next chapter.**


	17. The King's Secret

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 17- The King's Secret**

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Terra stormed down a hallway with Ven following him. After seeing King Crudelis attempt to kiss Aqua, he'd completely lost his temper. Terra had seen Aqua try to push the king off her, but he was too angry to acknowledge anything else, including Xion and Ven's attempts to keep him from jumping on the king to tear his head off.

In the end, it had taken a Thunder spell to Terra's back to get him to stop. After that, Terra had just angrily huffed as Aqua looked at him with complete sadness in her eyes. He knew it wasn't her fault, but he was furious with the king. Rather than let Aqua continue to see him this way, Terra had left the room in an angry huff. He stormed down to the garden with Ven on his heels.

Meanwhile, Aqua had run to a broom closet two floors below in tears. Desperate to get away from the king, she'd just run out of the room with Xion close behind her. As soon as she'd reached the door, she slammed it shut and slumped next to it like a barricade. As soon as she'd stopped, Aqua just let her tears fall freely.

"Aqua, open the door," Xion begged.

"No!" Aqua shouted. "I want to be alone after that fiasco!"

"I just want to talk to you!" Xion pleaded. "Just tell me what's really wrong. I know it isn't to do with the king. Is it… Terra?"

Sooner than Xion could think, Aqua opened the door and pulled Xion inside before bolting it shut again.

"Aqua…"

"It's everything to do with Terra," Aqua said.

"Why…?"

"I love him," Aqua confessed.

"Oh…" Xion said. Aqua walked past her and slumped onto a nearby bucket.

"You… you love him?" Xion asked to make sure she'd heard Aqua correctly.

"Yes. And I was so embarrassed for him to have seen that just now," Aqua said. Tears continued to fall from her eyes. "And his temper… I don't know what to make of it."

"Isn't it obvious that he's jealous?" Xion asked.

"I was hoping he wouldn't be jealous, Xion," Aqua said. "Terra knows the king's presence unsettles me. There's something about him that makes my skin crawl."

"It's no big deal," Xion said. "Once Terra calms down, just go talk to him and ask him about why he flipped out." Aqua took a minute to decide, but she knew Xion was right.

After a minute's silence, Xion couldn't resist asking, "How long have you loved him?"

Aqua let out a sigh, a soft, happy sigh, before answering, "Since the day we met. You see, when we met, we both stared at each other for a minute. I remember that he told me he thought my hair was pretty and I just blushed. And when I got to know him better, that settled it."

"How come?"

"I thought he was just so sweet and kind to me," Aqua said. "Plus, I think he's very handsome." She was blushing as a small smile graced her features. "As we became friends, my feelings deepened for him and came to become what they are now. Sometimes, I just can't stop thinking about Terra."

"Wow!" Xion said. "You really do love him. That's so sweet."

"I wish I could tell him how I feel," Aqua said. "But I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't return my feelings, Xion."

"Come on," Xion said. "If he tried to attack the king, he clearly feels the same way about you. He's just pretty jealous. Mr. Hothead needs to calm down. So, give him some time, then tell him."

"O… Okay," Aqua said hesitantly.

"Won't you feel better if he knows?" Xion asked.

"Maybe, but only if he feels the same."

"Trust me, he does," Xion said. Aqua gave her a tiny smile and nodded. Then, they started searching for more secret passages together. If King Crudelis came near, the girls darted back the way they came and didn't look back.

In the gardens, Terra was sitting on a fountain with his head in his hands. Ven was trying to console him while Terra mentally beat himself up for his behavior inside. Trying to attack a king? And in front of Aqua? He'd never live it down.

"I'm such an idiot," Terra said.

"Terra, please calm down," Ven begged.

"I just can't believe I did that."

"Anyone would've done that."

"How do you know?"

"In simplest terms, you're jealous."

"So, what? I'm jealous," Terra replied. "Now that Aqua's seen that side of me, she's probably gonna be terrified of me for the rest of her life."

"Terra, would you cut it out!" Ven shouted.

"Ven, you know how I feel about Aqua!" Terra retorted.

"ENOUGH!" Ven screamed. He ran up and pushed Terra into the fountain. Although Terra was stunned by Ven's actions, Ven just retorted, "Maybe the water will clear your head."

Terra wasn't listening. He just stared at the water, which got him thinking about Aqua. Her hair and eyes were the color of the clearest blue water. And her smile was dazzling, it was a smile that always brightened him up. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Letting it out, he got out of the fountain and used magic to dry his clothes, thanks to a small Fire spell.

"Calmed down yet?" Ven asked.

"Yeah," Terra said. "But I have to apologize to Aqua."

"Don't you mean King Crudelis?" Ven corrected.

"No," Terra replied. "I couldn't care less about apologizing to that creep. He almost kissed her!"

"Note the _almost_," Ven pointed out. "He didn't do it."

"He got close to doing it though."

The boys were silent for a minute before going towards the lower castle levels to search for a passage to the Heartless nest. After a while, Ven asked, "So, are you going to explain to Aqua why you nearly tore the king in half?"

"Maybe," Terra said. Ven was surprised.

"Really?"

"I said _'m__aybe_'," Terra reminded. "I didn't say I would do it for certain."

"Why don't you just tell her?" Ven asked. "She already saw you overreact."

Ven scored points for that, as much as Terra hated to admit it. Aqua would probably know why he'd tried to tear Crudelis apart, but his feelings… How could he put them into words without freaking Aqua out?

As they proceeded into the lower levels of the castle, Terra continued to wonder how he would tell Aqua the truth of his feelings. Ven came across a door hidden behind a tapestry.

"Terra, look at this," he said. Pushing the door open, it revealed a hidden staircase. "Wanna check it out?"

"Yes," Terra said. "If it takes us to that Heartless nest, we need to check."

"I only asked to make sure you were listening," Ven said sheepishly.

"Whatever," Terra grunted.

They proceeded down the hall after covering the door with the tapestry again. Ven led the way down a hall that had only torches for light. It was creepy.

"I can only figure one place this leads," Ven said as they came upon another door. He pointed at it, asking Terra's permission to open it. Terra solemnly nodded.

Pushing it open, Ven and Terra saw that the next room was lit by a massive chandelier. They walked down another set off stairs to a small balcony. And once they wet foot on it, they saw it.

A massive room full of Heartless. Small ones, big ones, mid-size ones, all with unnatural yellow eyes that made you think of all your worst fears.

"The king must be doing this," Terra said.

"He's the one letting all the Heartless thrive," Ven said. "He's building an army."

"But for what?" Terra asked.

"To keep nosy Keyblade wielders out of my business," a voice said.

Terra and Ven found themselves face to face with King Crudelis and a dozen guards. All their weapons were pointed at them, ready to fire when their king commanded it.

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**A massive army of Heartless? Terra's jealousy hits its peak? And what about Aqua? Xion knows about her feelings for Terra. Well, you're not gonna see what happens until the next chapter. Sorry.**

**By the way, I read some of your reviews. I see that many of you wanted Terra to rip the king's head off. I probably would've let him do it too. But I need the king around a little while longer. And now you guys know why, he's the one creating that Heartless army. But don't worry. Terra pwns him eventually.**


	18. Escape

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 18- Escape**

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Ven and Terra just stared down the king menacingly as he walked toward them.

"Now, two of the Key brats know my secret," Crudelis said. "I guess I have no choice but to make sure you both are eliminated now." He smirked at the prospect of that.

"Aqua will notice!" Terra snapped.

"Oh, don't worry," Crudelis said. "I plan to take exceptionally good care of her. I know she'll be mine soon enough. With an entire army of Heartless, she'll give in to what I want soon enough. And after that, I can use this army of Heartless to take out the people of my city and create even more Heartless so I can have them expand into the other worlds and I can take over them all!" A manic light glinted in his eyes, making him even creepier than ever.

"Aqua won't give in!" Ven snapped. "She doesn't love you! Heck, she doesn't even like you! All you did was freak her out when you tried to kiss her!" Terra made a mental note to kick Ven later for bringing up that fiasco.

"Shut up, insolent brat!" Crudelis snarled. "And who said that I cared what she felt? I want her, and I intend to get her. One way, or another."

"She's not gonna give into the demands of a creep like you!" Terra growled.

"Guards, take these two to the dun—ACK!" Crudelis was interrupted by a gunshot that nearly hit his foot. They all turned towards where the shot had come from. They saw Lightning standing at the entrance with her gun-sword ready to fire more bullets if it came to that.

"Terra, Ven, come on!" she yelled. The boys called out their Keyblades and fought through the guards before heading up the stairs.

"Where are Aqua and Xion?" Lightning asked.

"We lost track of them a while ago," Terra panted. He wasn't as fast as Ven or Lightning, and as a result, was behind them.

"Aqua! Xion!" Ven called out.

Lucky for them, Xion and Aqua were only one hallway away. Unfortunately, he collided with them. Lightning managed to jump over the three of them just before hitting the collision and Terra managed to skid to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Xion asked.

"Crudelis is the one making all those Heartless appear!" Ven explained. "And he's after us! We've gotta get out of here!"

"Come on! They're right behind us!" Terra shouted. He grabbed Aqua's hand and pulled her to her feet. Ven helped Xion up and the five of them sprinted away.

Guards chased them through the castle until they reached the front gate. It had been open earlier, but Crudelis didn't want the group to escape, so it was now shut tight. Everybody got out their weapons and prepared to fight.

Aqua tore after several guards and held them back with magic. Ven utilized his speed to make a load of guards dizzy before knocking them out. Terra called out his full power and struck down many guards. Lightning kept switching her weapon between a sword and a gun and was moving so fast she could barely be seen. Her speed rivaled Ven's. Xion was fighting evenly with physical and magic attacks.

It took a while, because the guards kept coming, but the five managed to subdue all the guards.

"Guards, keep them in at all costs," the king's voice commanded. Everyone turned their heads to the front doors and saw Crudelis with his bodyguards. "Get the girl with blue hair, but don't harm her. Kill the others."

Some guards charged forward and made right for Aqua, but Terra got in their way. He was _not_ going to let Crudelis take Aqua. Not then, not _EVER_. He charged them with Ven and Xion right behind. They gave all the guards several bumps, welt, black eyes, bloody noses, etc. Lightning stood by Aqua and they battled stationary.

The king sent out another wave of guards once Terra had finished off the last round. But before letting them attack, he told them to stand by for a second.

"Aqua, if you come with me, I'll spare your friends if you agree to become mine," Crudelis offered. He held up his hand as if for Aqua to take it.

"Never!" Aqua shouted. She was glaring viciously.

"Such anger…" Crudelis muttered. "Yet, you look so beautiful." He smirked and Aqua scowled.

"Shut up, you old hack!" Terra roared.

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Crudelis snapped. "Guards, take first fire on the tall one! I want his head!"

The guards encircled the group and were ready to strike. But they never got the chance.

"Guys!" a voice called. Hope's.

Everyone turned to see the boy at the gates. He'd opened them wide with the help of some people who were now storming the gates.

"Come on!" Hope yelled.

"STOP THEM!" Crudelis screeched.

After a quick battle, Lightning's soldiers managed to get Crudelis' soldiers to back off. Lightning, Xion, Terra, Aqua, Ven bolted towards the gates. Hope led them away from the castle. The battle continued on, but Hope explained that they would rendezvous with the rest of their group in the mountains later, or if they ever escaped.

More guards pursued them through the city as they ran. Every now and then, the group would stop and battle as well, but they couldn't do it too often if they hoped to escape.

They finally made it to the city gates after giving several guards bruises from Keyblade attacks, magic strikes, and just punching them in the face sometimes, in Terra's case.

With the soldiers taken care of, the group ran for the city gates and into the forest towards Lightning's campsite.

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**Sorry there's not much. Please believe me that the next chapter will be longer and will definitely make up for it.**

**Okay. Now you know what this evil nutcase is up to and the gang has left the city. Big stuff for the next chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it.**


	19. Moon Lilies

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**NOTE: This chapter will be the one you've all been waiting for. And no, it's not Terra opening up a can of butt-whup on the king. That's later. Anyway, enjoy.**

**Chapter 19- Moon Lilies**

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Terra, Ven, and Aqua fled into the forest with Xion, Lightning, and Hope guiding them. They ran through the trees and eventually headed into the small camp outside the city. Upon arriving, Terra, Ven, and Aqua noticed that the camp was completely taken down.

"Everyone ready to set out?" Lightning asked.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," a blonde man said. "Everything's just about set to go, Light."

"Good, Snow," Lightning said. "We have to get the three Keyblade wielders to safety. The king is after them all for different reasons. Plus, he's the one behind the Heartless army."

"He is?" the man, Snow, asked.

"I just said he was!" Lightning snapped. "Now, get a move on!" Snow scurried off and groups of people started heading out. There were only twenty or so people aside from Xion and the other three Keyblade wielders.

"Let's set up our rides," Terra said. Ven set up his armor and Aqua did hesitantly. Also, Ven jumped on Terra's Rider while Aqua brought Xion with her. Lightning went just ahead of them and they all zoomed up to the mountains.

They reached the base of the mountains, where a new campsite was being set up. It was far enough away from the city to keep the king away for the night. However, it was probably still in danger if Crudelis decided to unleash some of his Heartless pets on the group.

Lightning arranged for two tents to be set up for Ven, Terra, and Aqua. The boys would sleep in one while Aqua slept alone. After the tents were set up, Terra and Aqua sat with Xion and Hope around a quiet campfire. No one said much. The only sound heard was the fire crackling and the pitching of tents.

Nearby, Lightning talked with Ven about what he and Terra had seen in the room with the Heartless army. After hearing everything Ven told her, Lightning went to relay the information with her soldiers. Ven proceeded to join the group by the campfire. It remained ever more quiet.

"I'm going to take a walk." Aqua suddenly stood up.

"Do you want someone to go with you?" Hope asked.

"No," Aqua said as she went to the edge of the camp.

"Aqua, what about the king and the Heartless?" Ven asked.

"I just want to be alone," Aqua replied. On that note, she took off into the forest without looking back.

"I'll go with her," Xion said. She started to get up, but Terra stopped her.

"No," he said. "I'll go." Without waiting for someone to protest, he followed Aqua.

He found her in a nearby meadow shadowed by trees. Aqua was sitting in the middle of a bunch of flowers. Terra could only see their silhouettes, but he knew they were flowers.

"Go away," Aqua said without looking at him.

"It's just me," Terra said.

"Go away," she repeated.

"Why do you want to be alone so bad?"

"You heard what the king wants with me. He's insane and I _hate_ him! Especially after what he did this afternoon. That was so embarrassing!"

Terra approached her and kneeled down. But Aqua wouldn't look at him.

"Aqua, I have to apologize for how I acted earlier," he said. "I'm really sorry."

"Why? You didn't offend me. You just scared me," Aqua replied.

"And I'm truly sorry," Terra said. "I really wish you could've never seen that side of me." He looked away from Aqua just as she finally turned to face him, but she avoided direct eye contact.

"Terra… is there something else wrong?" she asked. "Were you… jealous… of the king trying to do that to me?"

"I… uh…"

"Xion told me that it was jealousy. I didn't want to believe it, but I guess that's the only way to explain that behavior."

Terra couldn't hide it from Aqua. Especially not with the way the moonlight was touching her. She glowed in the silvery light.

"Beautiful…" he whispered.

"What?" Aqua asked.

"Uh…" Before Terra could speak, he noticed the flowers around him and Aqua. They were starting to glow with silvery blue light. It was a nice effect and fireflies started circling them too.

"Blue flowers," Aqua said. She remembered, faintly, from being in Radiant Garden, that she'd always wanted to see blue flowers.

"Huh?" Terra asked.

"I've never seen blue flowers before. But I've always wanted to."

"They're Moon Lilies," Terra said.

"I've never heard of them," Aqua said.

"They're a special kind of flower that glows in moonlight. And there's also a legend behind them…"

"About what?"

"If a couple wanders into a glade of Moon Lilies, it means true love for them." Terra simply hoped Aqua wouldn't be upset at hearing that, given the experience they had all just escaped from.

"R… Really?" she asked. She was now staring Terra directly in the eyes. The glow from the flowers reflected in them. "Your eyes are pretty…" she whispered.

"I remember you told me that three years ago," Terra mused. He stared at the glow of the flowers and how their light reflected off of Aqua's blue hair.

"Aqua…" Terra took Aqua's face in his hands and leaned in, but he hesitated. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked.

"No," she answered before moving in closer and kissing him.

Aqua moved her hands to Terra's shoulders as he moved one hand to wrap itself around Aqua and deepen the kiss. Feeling this love was unlike anything either of them had ever imagined. It was a wonderful feeling. One they'd waited for such a long time to truly feel.

Terra was the first to break away to catch his breath. "How long?" he asked.

"Since I met you," Aqua said as she wrapped her arms around him in a loving hug. "What about you?"

"The same," he replied. He smiled and caressed her face as she pulled out of the hug. "You're so beautiful. I just couldn't help myself."

"Likewise," Aqua replied with a gentle smile. She took one of Terra's hands in her own and held it over her heart so Terra could feel the warmth and love she hoped he felt from her. He did and then he moved Aqua's hand to his heart so she could feel the same.

After a brief silence in which they just stared at each other, Aqua said, "I love you," just before Terra pulled her close again for another kiss. He then lay down with Aqua still in his arms as he stroked her cheek.

"And I love you," he said. He seemed happier than Aqua could ever remember him being, especially after the last few days. He was just radiating happiness.

"I never thought I could feel this happy," Terra said as he picked one of the flowers and tucked it behind Aqua's ear. "Especially with my temper problems the last few days." The flower cast a nice glow over her water-colored hair. Aqua loved how the glow of the flower really brightened up Terra's eyes. They shone like a clear blue sky.

"Don't feel jealous, Terra," Aqua said. "Now that you know how I feel, you have no reason to." She paused. "My heart beats for you alone… I'm yours… forever."

"Forever," Terra agreed just before pulling Aqua's face up to his to kiss her again. Her hands creeped to his neck and her hands knotted into Terra's spiky hair. Terra cupped Aqua's cheek in his hand and just melted into the happiness of the moment.

Happy and full of bliss, Terra and Aqua fell asleep together in the glade of lilies. Although they had a battle coming up with the king of Ancient Paradise, they could spend a moment together, just the two of them. Sweet dreams came to them after finally having confessed their love to each other after so long.

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**YAY! It finally happened. I hope you all enjoyed. Because I know I liked writing this chapter the best. Along with Ven's introduction and when Terra and Aqua first met.**

**Hey I've got a question for you guys. Post answers in a review along with your opinion of the chapter okay? Anyways, do any of you guys really think Aqua might be in love with Terra in the actual story? There are several hints of it in the game I could point out and they all make me believe she could be in love with Terra. Anyway, does anyone agree?**

**If anyone wants to at least know what hints I have to point out, I will put them with the next chapter.**


	20. Battle Plans

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**A note for surxi25: I'm sorry, but no. I'm not extending this story into the BBS storyline. I just planned the one adventure for this story with King Creep-Head. But I'm going to have another story within the BBS storyline, it'll be a one-shot though. And it ends up as an alternate ending to BBS.**

**Chapter 20- Battle Plans**

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When Terra awoke, he found that Aqua was still fast asleep in his arms. The flower he'd put in her hair was still in place, but the glow had faded with the sun now rising. He touched Aqua's cheek and she lightly stirred.

"Terra…?" she asked.

"Good morning," he said. Aqua squinted before fully opening her eyes.

"Hi," she whispered. She lightly smiled up at her lover before stroking his face. "Uh… we just… fell asleep next to each other… right?"

"Yeah," Terra replied. "That's all."

"Okay."

"Well, really, you fell asleep in my arms, just as you are now."

"Silly," Aqua whispered. "This is real…"

"Yes. More real than I could've hoped," Terra replied as he sat up. Aqua lay against Terra's strong body as he pulled her up with him. Cradling her in his arms, Terra pulled her up to kiss her lovingly.

"Yeah…" Aqua whispered as they broke apart.

"Terra! Aqua!" a voice called. Ven.

Terra and Aqua turned their heads and saw Ven at the entrance to the glade.

"Uh… am I interrupting something?" he asked while scratching his head nervously.

"Kind of," Terra replied.

"You told her, didn't you?" Ven asked with a goofy grin on his face.

"Last night," Terra confessed. "We just passed out here and didn't come back."

"You knew, Ven?" Aqua asked.

"Hey," Ven held up his hands in protest. "He only told me two days ago. Terra here was unsure about telling you at all. And after that fit yesterday—"

"Enough, Ven," Terra said. "She gets it."

"Xion knows my feelings too," Aqua told them. "I told Terra that she thought he was jealous of… Well, that incident yesterday. But I also told her about how I felt for Terra."

"You feel the same, Aqua?" Ven asked.

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "I do." She held Terra's hand in hers and held it against her face.

Ven turned away and said, "Whenever you guys want some, breakfast is ready. After that, we've gotta talk battle plans."

Terra and Aqua spent a few more minutes in the glade of flowers. They just quietly enjoyed each other's company while staring deeply into the other's blue eyes. Funny how they, along with Ven, all had the same eye color, but different shades of it.

"We should go," Aqua said eventually.

"Right." Terra stood up and pulled Aqua with him. When they rose, Terra pulled Aqua close again for another kiss. She wrapped her arms around Terra's neck as he put his hands on her waist. They broke the kiss a minute later and returned to the campsite.

Cooking fires were blazing and people were running in circles. They paid Terra and Aqua no attention or asked where they'd been the previous night. No one even noticed that the two of them were holding hands.

That changed, however, as soon as the lovers walked to the campfire they'd been at with Hope, Xion, and Ven the previous night. The same three people were there along with a girl with bright pink hair who looked a lot like Lightning, but shorter and her hair was in a ponytail. She also didn't scowl like Lightning often did.

"Wow! It _did_ happen for you two!" Xion exclaimed, looking at Terra and Aqua's entwined hands.

"Ven?" Terra asked. Aqua giggled.

"He told us everything," Hope said. "Well, what he knows anyway. Where were you last night, anyway?"

"Yeah, you never returned to camp," Xion added.

"We ended up in a glade of Moon Lilies," Aqua explained as she and Terra took seats by the girl with pink hair.

"The flowers that mean true love?" she asked.

"When a couple enters a glade of them," Terra explained while smiling at Aqua. She returned his smile. "That's when we confessed," Terra continued. "But we fell asleep there."

"Fell asleep?" Xion asked.

"You would too if you'd been pursued by the freak who runs Ancient Paradise," Hope said.

"Yeah, but… they were together…" Xion said. She wiggled her eyebrows mischievously and Hope got the idea. He snorted. Ven wore a clueless expression.

"NO! We didn't fall asleep like that!" Terra and Aqua yelled in unison.

"You're attracting onlookers," the pink-haired girl said.

"Who are you, anyway?" Aqua asked.

"Oh, I'm Serah," she said as she stuck out her hand. Terra shook and Aqua did afterward. "Lightning's sister."

"I didn't know Lightning had a sister," Ven said.

"I did," Terra said. Everyone looked at him. "She told me when she warned me about the king's eye for pretty girls. She told me to watch out for Aqua and that the king had once gone after Serah, here."

"It's true," Serah said. Her face was flushed with embarrassment. "But I'm engaged. So, the king's the least of my worries."

"And he's the most of ours," Ven muttered as he passed Terra and Aqua plates of eggs. "He wants Aqua. _BAD_!"

"Sickeningly bad," Aqua added. Terra grunted impatiently while spooning eggs into his mouth. They dropped the subject.

"So, any plans for taking down the king and his Heartless army?" Terra asked.

"Not yet," Ven said. "Well, maybe, but I don't know it. Lightning's working on battle plans now."

"Are you fighting too, Serah?" Aqua asked.

"I'm a healer," Serah replied. "Fighting isn't my thing. I'll be helping those who get wounded later."

"Good luck, Serah," Hope said. "You'll need it."

"Maybe so, Hope," Serah said with a hasty giggle.

"Well, we should go see Lightning," Ven said as he put down his plate. "Terra, Aqua, you coming?" The two had just finished eating as well.

"Okay," Terra said. Aqua nodded.

"Nice meeting you," Serah said as they left. Xion and Hope wolfed down their food and followed the trio.

"You too," Aqua replied.

-^-^-^-^-

Lightning's tent was set up in the middle of the entire camp. She was inside pouring over maps of the surrounding area.

"Good to see the love birds finally awake," Lightning said as they walked in. Terra and Aqua's cheeks flushed.

"Does everyone know?" Aqua asked.

"I figured by the way Terra was staring at you the other day," Lightning replied. "I warned him to watch out for you and he seemed quite attentive to it. Especially after hearing about his little fit yesterday."

"PLEASE don't remind me about that!" Terra begged. Lightning smirked, Hope coughed to hide a laugh, and Xion patted Terra on the back sympathetically.

"Fine, fine," she said. "I was just teasing." Regaining her composure, she said, "So, about this Heartless army…"

"Why not just send out everyone to slice them up?" Ven asked. "Heartless are clueless and stupid. If you're fast enough, you can kill them without any problems."

"That's true," Aqua said. "But the thing is, there will always be plenty of them if the king's darkness feeds them."

"What _is_ his darkness?" Terra asked.

"Don't' know," Lightning said. "But we'll have to focus on getting to the king while the Heartless army is being battled. Otherwise, more Heartless will just devour us. The people of the city need to be warned and evacuated. The Heartless will feed off them, too."

"Why not just storm up to the castle and wipe out the Heartless while we're there?" Xion asked.

"The king will expect that," Lightning pointed out. "He isn't the most brilliant strategist. In fact, he's very poor at it. He thinks that a massive army of mindless demons will get him control of the universe. Well, he's wrong. The Heartless will follow him only until all worlds are conquered. Then, they'll devour him as well."

"He doesn't truly understand the Heartless, in other words," Aqua reasoned.

"That's it," Lightning said.

"So, how about a few of us sneak in to deal with the king?" Hope reasoned. "Then, we send more troops to deal with the Heartless?"

Lightning was silent for a moment before saying, "That's just the same as just marching up to the place."

"Not entirely," Xion said. "This will be done in secret. We have at least three people go to the king and take care of him. We can send in troops to the Heartless room through that secret passage Terra and Ven discovered. We can send Terra, Ven, and Aqua with them."

"Why all three of us?" Ven asked.

"Because Terra will be out for the king's blood," Hope answered. Xion snorted.

Terra sighed. "I guess there's no avoiding the truth of that," he said. Aqua held his hand reassuringly.

"Well, why all three of us?" Ven repeated. "I meant why should Aqua and I go? I already knew why Terra shouldn't."

"Not helping, Ven" Terra muttered. Aqua hushed him by rubbing his arm.

"Well, your speed will be essential to taking out that massive amount of Heartless," Lightning said. "And Aqua's magic skills could wipe out dozens of them." She was silent for another minute. "Alright. I'll go for a stealth mission. Hope, round up twenty troops to go with the Keyblade wielders to the Heartless chamber."

"And you, Lightning?" Aqua asked.

"I'll be going after the king," she replied. "I'm going to need Xion and Snow to come with me. Go get him now, Xion." Xion saluted and ran out of the tent.

"Get ready, guys. This battle will be a tough one."

"When do we go?" Terra asked.

"Tonight," was Lightning's final reply before they went to get ready for battle.

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**There's chapter 20. More action in the next chapter. Later.**

**And now, here are some reasons of why I believe Aqua is in love with Terra in the actual game storyline. I'm only posting five points, which are all I can name off the top of my head, but I think there's more. Also, they are not written in order of happening in the story. It also does not include how much she worries about him. We ALL know how much she worries.**

**1) At the end of Olympus Coliseum when Aqua speaks to Hercules, she whispers that she believes Terra will become a hero.**

**2) After Radiant Garden, Aqua becomes much more focused on Terra's doings, then again, she might just not have known about Ven still traveling worlds.**

**3) Aqua refused to believe that Terra would fall into darkness, even after what Maleficent told her, and she became very distressed when she found out the things he did with darkness were true.**

**4) ****The opening video. When Terra walks past her, watch the rest of that part.**

**5) THE MOST IMPORTANT: Aqua willingly jumped into the darkness to save Terra in the Last Episode and she even gave up her Keyblade and armor for him.**


	21. Terra and Aqua’s Promise

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 21- Terra and Aqua's Promise**

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That night, Terra, Aqua, Hope, and two dozen of Lightning's warriors had stationed two blocks from King Crudelis' castle. Lightning had gone ahead to the castle with Ven, Snow, and Xion to take care of the guards on night patrol duty. Ven had come back ten minutes later to report that the guards were out.

The mission was to keep the guards busy while Lightning, Snow, and Xion went to deal with the king. Then, everyone would proceed down to the room with the Heartless, lead by Terra and Ven, to eliminate the Heartless army.

Although Hope and Xion's original plan had been different, Lightning had modified some slight procedures due to the guards around the castle.

Everyone had been forced to dress in black clothes. Some people had to wear head coverings too, Ven and Aqua included. But Aqua was forced to wear a bandana to cover the lower half of her face. The king wanted her captured and she would not risk being caught since every guard in the castle knew what she looked like.

She wouldn't give into the king no matter what, however. Aqua had vowed this to Terra as they were preparing for the mission.

_-Flashback-_

_Two hours ago, everyone had been suiting up for battle just before Lightning gave out the final orders. Lightning had given Aqua some of her black clothes since they were about the same size._

_She'd pulled the clothes on over her own to avoid taking too long. She just tucked her long blue sashes into her pants to avoid them hanging out. When she was fully dressed, she thought she looked like a ninja._

_"Aqua?" Terra called from outside their tent. Instead of sharing the tent with Ven, Terra now shared it with Aqua and Ven took the tent originally meant for Aqua. He'd done this in favor of Terra and Aqua's newly confessed feelings for each other._

_"I'm dressed," Aqua said. Terra walked in, also dressed in his black garb. "And also, I'm wearing my clothes underneath. You didn't have to stay outside."_

_"I didn't know you would be keeping your clothes on under that," Terra said._

_"Oh," Aqua said. She mentally slapped her forehead._

_"You ready for this?" he asked._

_"As I'll ever be," she answered._

_Terra approached her and opened his arms to embrace her, which she gratefully accepted. Terra lowered the hood Aqua was wearing to hide her hair. Resting his hand on Aqua's head, he fiddled with the ends of her short hair. Aqua rubbed her hands across Terra's back. It felt soothing to his nerves, which had been acting up ever since they'd decided that _he_ would be the leader of everyone going to the Heartless chamber. It was a big responsibility._

_"You're nervous," Aqua observed._

_"Not really," Terra flatly stated. "Just irritable."_

_"Because of the king?"_

_"Yeah. After what he almost did to you and how I reacted…" His gaze fell to his feet._

_"Hey," Aqua lifted his face and eyes to hold her gaze. "That's in the past. And I don't mind how you acted. You were just upset."_

_"Well, I'm glad to know how you feel," Terra said. He stroked Aqua's face before pulling her close to kiss her. Both became unwilling to break apart, but they had to breathe eventually. Plus, Ven had just ducked his head in the tent._

_"Uh…" he said. Terra and Aqua broke apart immediately._

_"What?" Terra asked._

_"Lightning's about to give the mission briefing," Ven said. "Come on." He ducked his head out again. And by the sound of it, he'd bolted._

_"We should go," Aqua said as she walked to the entrance. She didn't expect Terra's hand to grab her and pull her back into his strong embrace. "Terra…?"_

_"Aqua… I just need to know…" Terra started._

_"Terra…?" She pulled away to look into his eyes. But Terra didn't completely let go. She was still in his arms._

_"Please tell me… that you really love me," Terra begged._

_"What?"_

_"I need to know, Aqua," Terra said._

_"I do, but…"_

_"I mean because of what the king did to you and what he might do if this mission fails and he captures you." He looked about ready to cry, something Aqua had never seen Terra do in all the time they'd known each other._

_"Why so sudden?"_

_"What if the Heartless kills one of us, or both?" Terra said. "Besides, if I'm captured, the king will kill me. If he captures you… forces you to…"_

_"I'll never do what he says, Terra," Aqua said. "My heart belongs to you. I promise that I love only you. And I'll never love anyone else for as long as I live. I want you."_

_Terra was silent for a moment. "Thank you," he murmured at last. He pulled Aqua close to him to kiss her again. Aqua put her hands to Terra's face and rubbed her thumbs against it. Terra totally wrapped his arms around his beloved._

_"HEY!" Ven shouted. "Guys, get out here!" Terra was the one to pull away first._

_"Coming," he called. Aqua pouted, the same pout he'd always loved. "Want more?" he teased._

_"Can we do it later?" Aqua asked._

_"You got it," Terra replied with a teasing grin. Aqua returned the grin and poked Terra's nose._

_Then they headed outside to hear Lightning's briefing for the mission._

_-End Flashback-_

Terra led the group through the castle. He'd gone ahead with Aqua, Hope, and two other men to get to the Heartless chamber first. Two other groups had divided to take care of the guards while Lightning's group went after Crudelis.

"This way," he whispered. Aqua crept up behind him as Terra opened the path with the tapestry that concealed the Heartless chamber hallway.

"Guys, wait!" a voice whispered. Ven and Snow had returned. Snow was out of breath however, Ven must have run all the way here and Snow hadn't kept up very well.

"What is it?" Aqua asked.

"The king… wasn't in his room!" Snow huffed.

"He might be in the room with the Heartless," Ven said. He wasn't tired from running in the least.

"Then, we'll just take him out while we're at it," Terra said. "Push him into the pit of Heartless."

"Gotta say, I like your thinking, Terra," Snow said. Terra smirked.

After opening the door to the Heartless room, everyone crept up to the balcony's edge. The Heartless swarmed around eerily in the dark. Their yellow eyes glowed with hunger for the hearts of people.

"Ready to go to work?" Terra asked.

"Anytime," Aqua said as she summoned Rain Fall.

"Alright, everyone. Attack!" Terra commanded as he summoned Earth Shaker.

Everyone jumped off the balcony and charged at the Heartless. Terra caused small tremors every time his Keyblade hit the ground and he took out massive amounts of Heartless in minutes. Aqua whirled and spun as she cast magic on many Heartless and they turned into nothing. Ven darted around like a speed demon in a big rush. He sliced through Heartless with little effort.

Other warriors relied on their special weapons. Hope flung his boomerang around and cut through five Heartless with one pass of it. When it returned, it sliced through six more Heartless. Snow took on Heartless using only his fists. He'd told Terra earlier that his vest was magic and fueled his strength to pummel enemies. Whatever magic it was, it was working wonders as Snow beat two Heartless into submission, one with each fist.

"They just keep coming!" Terra said as he, Aqua, and Ven met in the middle. His words were true. There were just so many Heartless, but only twenty or so warriors. Lightning, Xion, and their other two scouts hadn't joined them yet.

"How do we stop them all?" Aqua asked. They all jumped at the Heartless again and came back to the middle. Aqua cast a Reflect barrier around them to stall the Heartless. The Heartless that attacked proceeded to get destroyed as they hit the magic barrier.

"Why not that powerful move Master Eraqus taught us?" Ven offered. "Trinity?"

"That move is pretty powerful," Terra said. "And the Power of Light _should _be able to defeat them all."

"But we've never successfully done it," Aqua reminded them. It was true, they'd had a lot of trouble performing the Trinity spell properly. They'd all been backfired on at least twice each. They'd currently lost track.

"Well, it might be our only chance," Ven said.

"Too bad you three will never get to try it," a voice said. A dark blast hit the Reflect barrier and it shattered.

Once the sparks from the barrier had disappeared, the trio turned to see none other than King Crudelis. His hand was smoking with dark energy and he had a samurai sword held in his other hand. And he was staring murderously at Terra.

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**I couldn't think of much for this chapter. It was meant to have that moment for Terra and Aqua as the flashback and for the gang to get in the castle. Wait for the main action next chapter.**


	22. Trinity

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 22- Trinity**

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The king lifted his sword and pointed it directly between Terra's eyes. He approached with the sword still in position. Terra had to look cross-eyed at the thing. Ven would've burst out laughing if his best friend wasn't about to be killed.

"If any of you want to live, I suggest you dismiss those horrid weapons of yours," King Crudelis said. The trio dismissed their Keyblades and glared at their horrid enemy. The Heartless charged around, clashing with Lightning's soldiers, but avoiding Crudelis, Ven, Terra, and Aqua.

"Why are you doing this?" Aqua asked.

"Because I'll be able to gain power with the help of these foolish creatures," Crudelis said. "Heartless are mindless beasts that do whatever their master desires. And as I am their master, they obey me."

"How can you control them?" Ven asked.

"My heart's darkness," Crudelis said. He smiled cruelly. "They want it. As long as they feed off it, they obey me and never attack because of how much they want it."

"It's not going to stay that way forever," Terra said. "Once the Heartless conquer the worlds for you, they're just going to devour you as well."

"No they won't," Crudelis said. "Once they do that, I plan to give up my body to the Heartless. Then, I will become one of the Heartless myself." Terra, Ven, and Aqua all gasped in horror. "But I've learned… that if a heart willingly gives into their darkness, they maintain their sense of identity and human form as a Heartless." (1)

"You're sick!" Aqua said.

"No! He's _insane_!" Terra corrected.

"He's just flat out crazy!" Ven blurted.

"Think of me what you wish," Crudelis said. "But it doesn't change my plans." His gaze fixed itself on Aqua in the uncomfortable way both she and Terra hated.

"Aqua, beautiful child, what would you say to helping me?" Crudelis offered. "I would give you anything you want. Become mine and we can rule the pathetic worlds out there."

Aqua had only one answer in mind: "Not on my life."

"Strange," Crudelis said. "No one can resist temptation like that. Especially my own persuasiveness."

"I already have all I could ask for," Aqua replied as she took Terra's hand. "Terra is the one I love. I'd never trade our love for anything in all the worlds." Terra smiled fondly at her.

"So that's how it is," Crudelis said. He shrugged. "In that case, Heartless, attack and destroy the three Keyblade bearers! Punish them for meddling in affairs that don't concern them!" At least fifty Heartless turned their attention to Terra, Ven, and Aqua in that very second.

"Crush them," Crudelis ordered as he strode away through the swarm of Heartless. They made a wide arc for him as he passed.

Terra, Ven, and Aqua stood back-to-back with their Keyblades drawn.

"Still think we should try Trinity?" Aqua asked.

"We have to get rid of the king first," Terra reminded her. "As long as he's here, the Heartless will just keep coming."

"Then, let me and Aqua handle the Heartless," Ven suggested. The other two stared at him. "Terra, you're the one who wants that creep gone. Go get him!"

Terra turned to Aqua. "Do you think you two can handle yourselves while I take that freak out?"

She winked and responded, "No problem."

Terra quickly pecked Aqua's cheek and ran off after Crudelis. Woe betide any Heartless that got in his way.

Terra tore through the army of Heartless as he chased after the King. He passed Lightning, who had just joined the fight; Xion, who was chopping Heartless in half as she defeated them; Snow, who was squashing Heartless with his bare hands; and Hope, who was slicing up Heartless with his boomerang. Every other soldier was fighting with swords, bows and arrows, knives, and there was even someone with an axe. They were all putting a massive effort into it, but the Heartless were still coming thanks to Crudelis' darkness.

Terra made it to a staircase that led up to the balcony and charged up. As he made it to the top, he saw Crudelis' cape whip around the doorway and out of sight. Terra ran after him.

As he ran through the corridors, every single guard Terra passed was out cold. Lightning's soldiers did quite a number on them. Many had cuts, bruises, black eyes, etc. Someone even had a sprained wrist, probably Lightning's work.

Terra finally caught up to Crudelis on the balcony where that… disaster with Aqua happened. Crudelis was facing him with that evil glare still on his face.

"End of the line," Terra said.

"Not even close," Crudelis said. "You think that your Keyblade is enough to beat me? I have acquired power from the Heartless aside from power over them. Darkness can be quite useful."

"No matter how dark you are, light will always shine through," Terra said. "Ven, Aqua, and I will stop you and your Heartless army."

"We'll see about that," Crudelis said. He attacked with his sword tip only mere inches from Terra's throat before the Keyblade warrior jumped away. Terra charged back and did whatever he could to maybe break a bone in Crudelis' body for what he did to Aqua the day before.

Terra slashed at the king, who parried and tried to stab the Keyblade warrior. The strike was blocked and Terra slid behind Crudelis before attempting a Blizzard spell. The king merely got ice on his sword, which he then tried to use like a club to bash Terra in the head with. Terra avoided it and then shot a light burst at Crudelis to counteract the king's darkness. But it didn't seem powerful enough (2) and merely blasted the king back a few feet.

"Heh… You call that light?" Crudelis asked. "I'd be more terrified of a candle light than that."

"Shut up!" Terra yelled. Suddenly another light burst hit the king from behind. Terra peered behind the king to see Ven standing there.

"Ven, get back to the room with the Heartless!" Terra ordered.

"No! I want to help you!" Ven protested.

"So, the little brat wants to join in?" Crudelis asked. "Very well, come here, Ventus!"

"You'll have to catch me, first!" Ven shouted as he took off down the hallway.

"Get back here, you brat!" Crudelis screeched. He ran after Ven. Terra charged after them both.

Ven led them back to the Heartless room and jumped over the edge of the balcony into the Heartless pit. Crudelis put his foot on the railing, about to jump after Ven, but Terra stopped him.

"Enough, Crudelis," Terra said. "Stand down."

"Never!" the king hissed.

"Then, you asked for it!" a voice said. Terra saw Aqua charge up and ram into the king. He fell over the railing, grabbing Aqua as well. She screamed and Terra grabbed her wrist before she could fall.

They were both rather annoyed to find Crudelis clutching Aqua's ankle.

"Let go of me!" she screamed.

"No!" Crudelis shouted.

"Then, I'll make you!" Ven yelled. He tossed his Keyblade up and it hit Crudelis in the leg. He'd been aiming for the horrible king's head. Aqua made him let go by kicking him with her free leg. Crudelis plummeted and hit just where Ven had been standing. The king had landed flat on his rump and didn't seem ready to get up. That was because Ven took the opportunity to kick the king in the most uncomfortable spot. Crudelis lay in the fetal position as Ven darted up the stairs.

Once he'd reached Terra and Aqua's position, Ven helped Terra pull Aqua back over the railing. "Thanks," she huffed. Being dragged over the railing hadn't been comfortable since there was only one bar as the rail.

"Trinity!" Ven exclaimed. "Let's try it now!"

"Sounds as good a time to try as any," Terra replied. He bent over the railing, scanning for Lightning and her gang. "Lightning, get everyone out of the pit, now! We're going to try something to eliminate the Heartless!"

"Got it!" Lightning called. Hope had been close as well and started to gather the rest of the soldiers. Everyone made it up the rail in two minutes.

"Alright," Terra said. He stood ready with his Keyblade in front of him. Ven and Aqua stood in a triangular formation and held their Keyblades' tips to Earth Shaker.

"Let's do it," Aqua said.

The trio focused all their energy, power, and focus into their Keyblades. They, along with their weapons, started glowing with light as they shouted, "Trinity!" in unison.

The light that erupted from their Keyblades was so great that Lightning's gang had to shield their eyes. The radiance spread all through the room, lighting up even the darkest corners. Every Heartless cowered before their light and dissipated into nothingness. As the light died down, all they heard was a tortured scream that must have been Crudelis. Terra, Ven, and Aqua pulled their Keyblades apart and collapsed in exhaustion.

Xion and Hope ran to the railing to see the results of Trinity's power.

"They're all gone!" Xion exclaimed.

"The king too!" Hope cried.

"He's… gone?" Ven huffed.

"Yeah," Hope confirmed. "All that's left is his robe." Terra got up and bent over the balcony to look. It was true. All that was left of Crudelis was his red and gold robes. It seemed quite sad, but the good news was that it was over.

"We did it," Terra said. "We really did it!"

Everyone burst into cheering. Hope high-fived Xion and Snow. Lightning raised her gun-sword in salute. Ven started dancing around with Xion, they looked really silly. Terra just pulled Aqua into his embrace before kissing her lovingly.

Crudelis was gone. The Heartless were gone. Ancient Paradise was saved and their mission was complete.

For all it was worth, Terra and Aqua just held that kiss for as long as they could, which was until Ven tackled them in a hug and they both started wrestling with him, Xion, and Hope just for the heck of it.

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(1)- Basically, that's what happened with Xehanort turning into a Heartless and Scar. Look it up if you don't believe me.

(2)- Foreshadowing of Terra's darkness problems in BBS.

**YAY! The king of freaks is done for! Okay, just two more chapters. And maybe an epilogue. Depends on how well I can write it.**


	23. Love and Light

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 23- Love and Light**

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The sun was just coming over the horizon of Ancient Paradise's mountains. Lightning's campsite was empty of activity save for the few guards on duty. Most people were sleeping. This included Ven, Terra, and Aqua.

Ven was still sleeping like a baby in his tent. Terra and Aqua however, were sleeping together in their tent. After the events of last night, they'd just plopped onto the same cot together, still dressed in their black clothes. Terra had just woken up. He saw that he'd somehow rolled onto the floor. Aqua was still sleeping on the cot. Her hand fell over the side.

Smiling to himself, Terra reached for Aqua's hand and she stirred after he'd held it for a minute or so.

"Terra?" she whispered.

"Hey, Aqua," he said. Aqua opened her eyes and saw him on the floor smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Good morning," she replied.

"Sleep okay?" Terra asked.

"Yeah. But why are you on the floor?"

"I must've rolled off in the middle of the night. It looks like you did your fair share of rolling around too. You were on the other side of the cot when we fell asleep."

"Is that so?" Aqua asked as she looked at the cot. She had been on the other side a few hours ago. They'd returned to the camp an hour past midnight. Everyone was pretty worn out and had just gone straight to bed.

"Yeah," Terra said. He moved his free hand to Aqua's cheek and rubbed it. "Come on." He stood up and pulled Aqua into a sitting position on the cot.

"Why?" she asked.

"We're going to leave later," Terra said. "I want to go back to the Moon Lily glade with you before we leave."

Aqua brightened up at that. "Okay," she said as she stood up.

They passed the guards without any trouble. In fact the guards had just thanked them for ending all the problems with the Heartless. Terra knew the way back perfectly, but Aqua had just run into it the other night without any sense of direction. She didn't remember the way back. Plus, she'd been too happy the previous morning to really pay much attention to the path.

Nonetheless, when they entered the Moon Lily glade, it seemed like the whole world was at peace. Aqua sat down amidst the flowers. They were losing their glow because of the rising sun. But the moon was still overhead, just about to disappear over the horizon.

"I can't believe that thanks to these flowers, we finally told each other how we felt," Terra said.

"But it's worth it, isn't it?" Aqua asked. "To finally know?"

"Yeah," Terra said as he brought Aqua into his strong yet tender embrace.

"I've loved you for so long," Aqua said. "Terra, I feel like I just can't let go of it."

"I know how you feel, Aqua," Terra said. "When we first met, I felt something about you that I knew would change me forever."

"And we were brought together thanks to the Keyblade," Aqua said. "If it hadn't been for it, I probably never would've met you and fallen in love with you."

"Nor I with you," Terra said. Their faces were only an inch apart now. Terra had one arm wrapped around Aqua's waist. The other was cradling the back of Aqua's head, stroking her short blue hair. Aqua's hands were holding Terra's face. But just before they could do anything, someone shouted, "Hey, guys!"

It was Ven. He didn't sound too far away, but he was close. Terra and Aqua pulled away and stood up.

"Let's go," Aqua said.

"Yeah. We'll leave soon, too," Terra said. They stood and left the glade, but not before Terra picked a lily and slid it into Aqua's hair like he'd done the other night. Aqua played with it as she and Terra approached Ven. Unlike them, Ven wasn't wearing his black clothes.

"Good morning," Ven said.

"How did you know we were out here?" Aqua asked.

"I'm a light sleeper," Ven said.

"No, you're not," Terra said. "When we first met you, you passed out for two whole weeks."

"Hey, I got a bad headache!" Ven protested. "Besides, you gave me a question overload without waiting for me to answer at all!" Aqua burst into giggles at their argument.

"What's so funny, Aqua?" Ven asked.

"You both are acting like you're brothers," Aqua said through giggles. Terra hugged her close to his body and let out a light chuckle. Ven snorted.

"Well, Lightning wants to talk to us," Ven said. "Before we go."

"Alright," Aqua said. "Let Terra and me change out of the black clothes first. I'd rather not go home looking like a ninja." The boys snorted and Aqua pulled them both back towards the camp.

-^-^-^-^-

Later that day, Lightning thanked Ven, Terra, and Aqua for their help in stopping Crudelis' plot with the Heartless. Everyone clapped them all on the back at least once. Xion hugged them all and several men kissed Aqua's hand, which Terra grudgingly allowed. It was just an act of kindness and thanks, nothing more.

"We couldn't have pulled that off without you three," Lightning said. "Especially that powerful Trinity attack. No one other than Keyblade wielders can use it. And you need three of them together."

"Hence the 'tri' in Trinity," Ven said. Everyone laughed at that, even Lightning, whom the trio had never seen laugh before.

"So, how is the city gonna get by without a king?" Terra asked.

"Luckily, Crudelis' mother is still around," Lightning said. "She's not too old that she can't handle the city until she can choose a new heir. Crudelis never married or had children. But his mother can handle things here for a while. And we'll all be helping her for the time being. It's our job."

"That's good to hear," Aqua said.

"Sure is," Lightning added. "Have a safe trip home, you three. I hope we get to see you again."

"It was great meeting you," Hope put in. He high-fived with the trio.

"Keep in touch," Xion said.

"We'll try," Terra said. He turned to the camp entrance and started walking away. Ven and Aqua followed.

"And play nice with her, Terra!" Xion shouted at their retreating backs. That got several chuckles from the other soldiers and Terra blushed tomato red.

They summoned their armor in a nearby clearing. Terra and Aqua set up their Keyblade Riders as Ven opened the portal for them. Ven rode with Terra once again as they returned to the Land of Departure.

Once they returned to the castle, the courtyard was empty. Ven, Terra, and Aqua headed inside and went directly to the throne room. Eraqus was there, beaming with pride.

"Welcome back," he said. "I take it you three succeeded in your mission?"

"Yes, Master," Terra said.

The trio went into a full explanation of everything that had happened to them in Ancient Paradise, but they left out Terra's angry outburst with the king, as well as the reason for the outburst. And they also didn't mention how Terra and Aqua had now confessed their true feelings to each other. If Eraqus knew, he would simply tell them that it wouldn't be wise to let a relationship get in the way of their training.

After the explanation, Eraqus dismissed them to go take a good rest in their rooms after the tiresome mission. Plus, they still hadn't gotten enough sleep the previous night. But he kept Ven back a minute.

"I can tell you three are hiding some details," Eraqus said. "I'd like to hear them from you, Ventus."

"Well, they involve Terra and Aqua," Ven said hastily.

"They told each other, didn't they?" Eraqus said.

"You knew?"

"Ever since Aqua came to us, I've noticed how Terra acts around her every now and then. He sometimes stares at her when he thinks she's not looking. Aqua sometimes does the same thing. They always had this look in their eyes, a look of deep love for the other. Terra and Aqua have been in love with each other since they first became friends."

"I never noticed in the two months I've known them," Ven said.

"I'd like you to just tell me what you'd feel comfortable telling me, Ven," Eraqus said gently. Ven explained about Crudelis' attempted kiss with Aqua and Terra's furious reaction. He only told Eraqus what he knew about Terra and Aqua's confession as he had not been present.

"I see," Eraqus said. "Well, Terra acted like any man would, albeit to an extremity, if another man had tried to kiss the girl he loved. His jealousy is understandable. But he needs to be careful with it."

"How come?" Ven asked.

"Negative emotions fuel darkness of the heart, Ven," Eraqus explained. "Terra has had difficulty taming his for some time now. He has it mostly under control, but he needs to master his fear of defeat."

"That's his darkness?" Ven asked.

"Yes. He is afraid to lose because if he does, it means losing everything to him. Terra fights with all his strength, which he doesn't need to do. He just needs to remember his strength and what drives him to be strong. I believe that Aqua is this drive to him. She is the light of his heart, as Terra is to her."

"Light of the heart?" Ven asked. "Wow! I didn't realize love could go that deep."

"Terra and Aqua's love for each other is a strong light, indeed," Eraqus said. "If they choose to take that path, I will not stop them. But they _do_ have to focus on their training until they take the Master Qualification Exam."

"When are they going to do that?" Ven asked.

"Within a few months' time. Now, go get some rest, Ven. I can tell you need it too."

Ven stifled a yawn before heading to his room, leaving Master Eraqus alone, thinking about how proud he was of his three apprentices.

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**Alright. The final chapter is coming up. Anyway, I hope you liked this one.**


	24. Terra and Aqua: Earth and Water

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Chapter 24- Terra and Aqua: Earth and Water**

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After a hard few days on a mission, Eraqus gave his apprentices a few days off from training. But he also informed Terra and Aqua of their upcoming Master Qualification Exam. In a few days, they'd start training again, even harder than before, Terra had promised.

They'd already rested for two days after returning. They were taking the rest of a third day off and would proceed with training in the morning. Terra was now outside watching the last of a sunset. He was sitting in the training area where he and Aqua had first talked and showed each other their Keyblades three years ago. They'd shown Ven this spot a couple days after he became an apprentice, due to his slowness back then.

Terra sat with his feet hanging over the edge and leaning against one of the rock pillars. The sun was just setting over the horizon as he heard footsteps approach. He turned and saw Aqua walking toward him.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Decided to come out and get some fresh air," Terra said. "Come here." Aqua smiled and went over to him. She sat next to him as Terra wrapped his arm around her.

"Feels good to be home," Aqua said.

"Yeah," Terra said. "Now, we can put the bad stuff behind us…" He pulled Aqua close to him and kissed her cheek. She blushed. "…And we can look to the future."

"Right," Aqua agreed. "Soon, we'll become Keyblade Masters. I can't believe the MQE is coming up soon."

"Neither can I," Terra replied. "It seems like just yesterday we started training together."

"Yes. But now look at us. We've grown up." Aqua took Terra's hand and squeezed it.

"Grown up, trained, and told each other how we feel." Terra pulled his hand out of Aqua's grip and wrapped his arms around her.

"I never knew it could feel this wonderful to love someone," Aqua said. "I hid my feelings from you for a long time, Terra. I was uneasy about them because I was worried about whether you returned my feelings or not."

"I always did," Terra assured her. He pulled Aqua into his lap now. She leaned against him comfortably. "I promise you, Aqua. You're the only girl I've ever loved." Aqua smiled, but then went silent.

"But you get jealous," Aqua pointed out.

"I'm sorry about that," he said. "But I can't help it. I know you better than any other man in the universe. I wanted it to stay that way."

Aqua didn't know what to think. Jealousy was an emotion she'd never liked, but if Terra had a bit of jealousy in him, she'd have to deal with it. But that didn't mean she couldn't help him overcome it.

"Well, don't worry," she said. "You're the only man I could ever love. I promise you that." Terra grinned. Then they settled into a calm silence.

After a while of silence she finally asked, "Why do you love me, Terra?"

Terra blinked in surprise. "Why would you ask that?" he wondered aloud.

"I just want to know," Aqua said.

"Hmm." Terra went deep in thought. Thinking. Why did he love her? After a while, he found an answer.

"You're just so natural," he said.

"Say what?"

"Well, when I look at you, it's like I'm looking at water come to life," Terra explained. "You're like a human incarnate of the water. You've got hair and eyes to match." He smiled while looking Aqua directly in her watery eyes. "You're beautiful. Both physically and at heart. I feel your light shining in your heart when I have you here in my arms."

"Oh," was all Aqua said.

"Really? Well, why do _you_ love _me_?"

Aqua considered it for a minute before answering. "Well, it's like the earth has come alive as the wonderful man here holding me," she said. She stroked the hair that framed Terra's face. "You're strong, yet gentle, much like the earth. And I love everything about you. From the light I always see in your eyes, to the warmth and love I feel from your heart. Like the earth holds the water, you hold me here in your embrace."

"I guess we were given our names for a reason," Terra mused.

"Yeah," Aqua agreed. "I love you, Terra."

"And I love you, Aqua," Terra said. He pulled her close to him before kissing her sweetly. Aqua continued to play with the tips of Terra hair as he cupped her cheek. Aqua felt a blush flare through her cheeks as Terra rubbed them gently. She traced the edge of his lips with her tongue, Terra mirroring her actions a second later. Then, ever so slightly, Terra moved one hand behind Aqua's head and stroked her light blue tresses. But he also held her closer to him, if possible.

Aqua was the first to break away for air. When she did, she gazed deeply into Terra's eyes. Endlessly blue, like the sky. It was her favorite quality of his, the way his eyes lit up when he was happy. Terra was clearly overjoyed in this moment. She lay her head in the crook of Terra's neck.

"Hey, Terra," Aqua said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember what you told me about Light when you introduced me to Master Eraqus?"

"Not word-for-word, but yes. What about it?"

"You said, _'__There is a light deep inside all of us that shines through our darkness. Everyone has darkness, no matter how little. But our light, the most special thing in our hearts… if we always remember it and hold to it, then we have no need to fear darkness'_," Aqua quoted. She'd remembered the speech word-for-word, even if Terra didn't.

"Okay?"

"I never told you how beautiful I thought that speech was," Aqua said. "Right then, that's when my feelings for you started to form."

"Really?" Terra asked, astonished.

"Yes," Aqua said. "I could just feel how strong your heart was. You inspired me to strive to become a Keyblade Master. We came to share a dream."

"Yeah," Terra said as he rubbed his hand up and down Aqua's back. "We've shared a lot. A dream, memories, friendship… and now…"

"Love," Aqua said. Her right hand cupped Terra's face.

"Right," Terra said. "Along the road to becoming Keyblade Masters, we became lovers." Aqua nodded with a smile.

The moon started rising in the sky. As it did, Terra noticed the moon's light as it hit Aqua. He stared at her while running his fingers through her hair. A little smirk formed at the corners of his mouth.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Aqua asked.

"I've never told anyone this," Terra said, "but whenever natural light touches you, I've always thought it looked beautiful. I guess it's part of what I think makes you natural. The way light touches you."

"Thank you," Aqua said. She ran her hand up Terra's arm, the one not wearing armor, and felt his muscles. He'd become strong over the years, partially due to doing a lot of vertical pushups (1). But he also put a lot of practice into physical training with his Keyblade, just as Aqua did with magic. Terra's muscles pulsed as Aqua rubbed her hands up and down his arm. His smirk grew into a wide grin. Aqua placed a quick, loving kiss on his lips. But when she pulled away, Terra was still smirking, causing his lover to giggle.

They stayed silent for a while, just watching the stars twinkle in the sky. A gentle breeze flew through the air. All seemed peaceful.

"Terra?"

"Yes, Aqua?"

"What do you think we'll do after the MQE? I mean… we'll be Keyblade Masters. But that means we'll have new duties to take care of."

"I know, Aqua," Terra said as he rubbed Aqua's back. "But it doesn't change anything. We can still be together even as Keyblade Masters."

"But… our duties…"

"We can handle it. We'll be Master Terra and Master Aqua. And Ven will come sometime after us. He'll become a Master too. But after we become Masters…"

"What, Terra?"

"How about we just go away for a while? Just the two of us?"

Aqua's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked.

"Yes," Terra replied. "Just take some time to be together. Just us."

"I'd like that," Aqua said. She pulled Terra's face close to hers and kissed him again, deepening it for all it was worth. She cradled his face in her hands and tangled her finger tips in his hair yet again. Terra lightly laughed because it tickled. He wrapped his arms around Aqua's waist and shoulders and felt her skin heat up at his touch.

"Just us?" she asked when they pulled apart.

"Yeah," Terra said. "The two of us… forever."

"Forever," Aqua agreed.

The two lovers stayed out a little while longer. That night under the stars, the strong earth, Terra, and gentle water, Aqua, destined to become Keyblade Masters had shared a tender moment. A moment that they would remember for the rest of their lives, with a love that would last forever more.

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(1)- He does that in the game. Activate Break Time when playing as Terra. I thought it was the weirdest thing I've ever seen.

**Okay. The story is over. I hope you guys liked it. And if I do say so myself, it's some of my best work.**

**Thanks to my many reviewers who commented and liked the story. The support you gave was great and it makes it worthwhile when you haven't written a fanfics this long in quite a while.**


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